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Doreen Winkler is a natural wine sommelier, consultant, and founder of Orange Glou, a unique wine subscription service and monthly wine bar pop up in New York devoted solely to skin contact wines. Although Doreen’s focus is on natural, organic, and biodynamic wines that offer the purest expression of the grape and terroir, her deepest passion is for orange wine. Doreen developed wine programs for over a decade as a sommelier and consultant for restaurants, bars, and wine retailers, including the Michelin, starred Aska and Aldea, Lupulo, Sel Rrose, and among others. Her wine program for Aldea received the World of Fine Wine Best Wine List Award in 2015 and Forbes named her one of “America's Top Sommeliers” in 2016. Over the years, she has developed relationships with winemakers and worked harvests at vineyards across many of the world’s best wine-growing regions. Now, through Orange Glou, she delivers a highly curated, personal selection of the most interesting and distinct orange wines in the world. Since her first taste of skin-contact wine in 2013, Doreen has tasted over 1,000 different bottles and is still very much in love with the magic in the glass.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I started in hospitality with an apprenticeship at 16 years old, got my first sommelier job at 22, and never looked back. In addition to Orange Glou, I worked as a consultant sommelier for restaurants, bars, and wine retail stores in New York City, including Sel Rrose and Trapizzino. I’ve developed wine programs in the City for over a decade, including at Michelin starred Aska and Aldea, Bar Glory, Lupulo, and Urban Uncorked, among others. I also worked as a sommelier in Germany, Switzerland, Australia, and Cyprus and traveled to many of the world’s best winegrowing regions to participate in harvests and learn hands-on methods the best natural winemakers are using today. I also regularly attend natural wine fairs like RAW in the US, La Dive in France, Third Coast Soif in Chicago, and more and am constantly tasting new products and meeting new producers.

What inspired you to start your business?

I LOVE ORANGE WINE. It can be hard to find and niche, so I had a lot of friends asking me how to access it. One friend in particular, Katie Rodgers, known on Instagram as @PaperFashion, was especially encouraging and even offered to design some of the packagings. The demand was apparent and the timing was right so I finally dove in.

Where is your business based?

We are based in New York City.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

The first step was figuring out what I was going to offer. I looked at the wines I had access to and set aside inventory to fulfill orders of 3-bottle and 6-bottle boxes. Then I had to evaluate costs to determine price points and find a business partner who could distribute the wines to other states. Once I calculated all the costs, I hired a designer to create my logo, website, and Instagram aesthetic.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Outreach to traditional media through PR helped establish the business by increasing our initial visibility and legitimizing the quality of our product in the eyes of the public. Instagram has also been one of our biggest assets for word of mouth, especially happy customers sharing how excited they are to open the boxes and drink the wines on their IG stories. It feels like Christmas every month.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

When the market started crashing due to the outbreak, we received a lot of cancellations. People were scared and many had lost their jobs. We had to reevaluate our strategy, so we introduced a one time box that didn’t require a subscription and free shipping in New York for the first month. Ever since the business has been booming and more people are ordering the bigger subscription boxes (six bottles each month) than ever before! I was consulting for several NYC restaurants, but now I am staying focused entirely on my business and it’s paying off.

How do you stay focused?

I make lists so I always know what I need to do for the day and week. I don’t like to plan out the whole month because if the list is too big it becomes overwhelming. Getting up early, turning off the phone, and just knocking stuff out.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Orange Glou is the first and only wine subscription service just for orange wine. Beyond that, each box is full of personal touches, like the art designed by Kate Rogers for each tasting notecard and the gift boxes. Most important, though, is that the wines are of the absolute best quality. I make no compromises. These wines can be expensive and difficult to acquire because of high demand and limited production runs, but if you’re into orange and natural wines, these boxes are going to be your rock n roll playlist.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

In addition to traditional and social media, our monthly popup bars in New York and LA really engaged people on a different level. I wanted to create a version of my “dream bar,” a place where there were more orange wines than would be even possible to try in one night (but we also poured by the half glass in case you wanted to). Now that we’re in the age of social distancing, we’ve had to move that experience online and we’ve been doing that every Monday at 6 pm EDT via Instagram Live. Each week I share what’s new for Orange Glou, have a conversation with a guest winemaker, and chat with everyone who’s tuned in.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Stop thinking. Start doing. That was holding me up for so long. Put your numbers together, look at who your customers are going to be, and don’t compromise. The product is the most important part. There will be critics but stay the course. But also don’t overspend trying to build your company (i.e. having a decent website is enough; it needs to function, but it doesn’t need to be super fancy).

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

I love reading food blogs and websites like Eater and other industry publications to stay on top of trends.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

I love our newsletter. It keeps our customers informed and gives them an opportunity to engage.

Who is your business role model? Why?

Emily Weiss, founder of Glossier beauty products. I don’t use a lot of makeup products, but they’re very good at highlighting simple tricks that will make you feel better about yourself without putting on a whole face. All their products are organic – as are my wines – and their customer service is extremely personal. When the brick-and-mortar was open, they limited the number of people allowed in the shop to a 2:1 customer to employee ratio so that everyone could get ample attention. Likewise, Orange Glou seeks to share a high-quality product with highly personal customer attention.

What is your beauty routine? What are some of your favorite products?

I use a toner that refreshes and hydrates my skin. I dab it on after a shower and it feels so good. Then I add some moisturizer. If I’m leaving the house, maybe some powder and eyebrow enhancer.

How do you balance work and life?

I’m still figuring that out every day. Now I have a little foster dog named Rogue that’s giving me some balance. I try to take one day off a week to spend with my boyfriend. We like baking or cooking together, taking long walks.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Trading massages with my boyfriend and watching movies while wearing face masks.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

Hopefully hosting popups again! I have a vision of what I want to achieve. I want to increase my businesses, of course, and add more monthly subscribers. I’m hoping to host an event in LA in November if RAW Natural Wine Fair is still happening. I’m always planning my upcoming sourcing and continuing to foster winemaker and distributor relationships.

How can our readers connect with you?

For any of you that know me, I am a huge wine lover, and so when I had the opportunity to interview Danni Lin, the CEO of Great Wine, Inc., I jumped at it. Here is what she had to say about her entrepreneurial journey.

1). Please tell our readers about your background.

I am Danni Lin (B.S., M.S.), CEO of GREAT WINE, Inc. I am a Seattle-based entrepreneur who has successfully promoted the idea of “vinotype” and my wines PERCIPIO in the American and Asian markets.

I attended the University of Washington in Seattle, where I received my B.S. in Statistics and Mathematics and my M.S. in Computational Finance and Risk Management. Academically in the discipline of wine and spirit, I have passed WSET Level 3 and currently pursuing Level 4. I also hold certificates of the American Wine Expert Study program and the Business of Wine Study program. Yet, before becoming the CEO of GREAT WINE, I was a Data Scientist at Microsoft.

With a strong financial background and professional knowledge of wine, I am taking my business to the next level of growth and expansion worldwide through my extensive international experiences and connections. I hope to introduce the traditions and innovations of Californian winemaking to more clients around the world.

2). Why did you start your business?

Like many, I had experiences of going into a supermarket, and got lost in massive product lists and ads. I thought my likes and dislikes were related to how knowledgeable I was in wine – until I had a conversation with Tim Hanni. Hanni is one of the first Americans to become Master of Wine and introduced me to the scientific concept of “vinotype,” (i.e., wine preferences and sensory abilities of people). I then transformed from a wine novice to a wine educator who encouraged consumers to speak their mind – what they really enjoy drinking and experiencing.

In 2016, GREAT WINE opened its first tasting room in the Seattle Metro Area to offer tasting and vinotyping experiences to clients. But I did not let tasting and learning end in a brick-and-mortar store; I started a wine club for my clients so they can enjoy “vinotyped” selection of wines at home.

3). What market does your business serve?

GREAT WINE serves and inspires clients who would like to discover their unique preferences and perspectives. We do so by seeking the best possible wine sources to create delicious, healthy wines at a great price.

Also, GREAT WINE serves the market with forever-changing taste in both the USA and in Asia. We believe that the market will tell you what it needs, and the key to success is to be ready to change. When GREAT WINE was founded in 2015 in both the USA and China, it was one of the few companies in the industry which successfully caught the changing tides of the Chinese market. More and more Chinese young professionals prefer affordable wines with traceable origins, and have stopped chasing after high price tags. By comparing tea flavors including pu-erh and jasmine to wine flavors, GREAT WINE carries the mission of introducing the traditions and innovations behind Californian labels to the Asian markets.

4). What's the largest challenge you've encountered as a business owner?

High cost: The production, labor, and facility costs of running a winery are very high. Sacrificing wine quality because of the high cost will never be our choice. Instead, we seek the best possible wine sources and work hard in offering services which are educational to clients. To GREAT WINE, clients are not paying for our products; they are casting a vote of trust on the quality of our wine in exchange of knowledge and experience.

Building brand awareness: GREAT WINE is in fierce competition with other well-established wine brands. Our marketing team has built the brand and has successfully created a loyal client-base by managing multiple channels dynamically to communicate with clients. Our wine specialists and even I myself are just a few clicks away from clients! We believe that this is hugely different from reading a book because people come together and participate in knowledge-making together.

5). What's your best piece of business advice?

Think of a way to keep yourself motivated. There will be ups and downs in the progress of setting up a business. At the up times, you may want to ride on the tides and go faster. At down times, remain confident and work hard to achieve your goals. Successful entrepreneurs are people who do not give up.

6). How do you like to relax?

I keep a notebook and handwrite great quote whenever I see one. When I feel really tired, I will read the quotes and rethink my business directions. Then, I will come back to work with a clear mind and loads of energy!

7). Connect with Danni on:

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"Stop thinking. Start doing" with Doreen Winkler

Q&A with Wine Expert & Entrepreneur, Danni Lin

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