Executive Drops Out to Lead Full-Bodied Life; Lawyer-Turned- Entrepreneur is King of Swing
SUSAN LISOVICZ, HOST: Ahead on BUSINESS UNUSUAL, a New York executive leaves a corporate career for a full-bodied life. A California lawyer-turned-entrepreneur proves he's the king of swing. And a business meeting that you can't walk away from. That's all ahead on BUSINESS UNUSUAL. Hello. And welcome to BUSINESS UNUSUAL. I'm Susan Lisovicz. The eastern end of Long Island has long been revered for its pristine beaches. But these days, people aren't just visiting for the surf. Since the mid-'70s, vineyards and wineries have been sprouting up all across the region. And they've been gaining more and more attention from locals and tourists alike. One vintner tasting sweet success is corporate America dropout Vincent Gallucio.</s>LISOVICZ (voice-over): Seventy miles east of Manhattan is wine country. And 28 years of hard work is finally paying off thanks to a climate compared to France's Bordeaux region and a handful of millionaires who have vowed to make Long Island wine just as renowned. Newcomer to the region Vincent Gallucio recently dropped a highly successful career in telecommunications to pursue his lifelong dream.</s>VINCENT GALLUCIO, VINTNER: Delicious. Delicious by the pool, on the beach, with lobster, or cold with a steak.</s>LISOVICZ: And he's going all out with a national ad campaign, a prestigious staff of growers, and a passion for the grape.</s>GALLUCIO: Chocolate, plum, and cherry, predominant flavors on the nose in this wine.</s>LISOVICZ: Last year, Gallucio bought the 84-acre Gristina Vineyard and Winery for a Long Island record of $5.2 million. And he's now slowing down. He's purchased an additional 130 acres and state-of-the-art tanks and barrels. But Gallucio says that money is only a fraction of what he's putting in.</s>GALLUCIO: If you're really going to be successful in any business, you need to understand the business from the ground up. So I've done every job here. I've been on the tractor. I've been picking. My wife and I have picked grapes and harvested. I'm here every day. This is my life. I've got to get these grapes some sun. They're useless if they don't get sun.</s>LISOVICZ: Gallucio has got everything in place. But his biggest hurdle will be overcoming the region's image, not an easy feat in an industry where reputation is everything. Bob Ransom, co-owner of Manhattan's Vintage New York, the first shop to sell New York wines exclusively, has learned from experience.</s>BOB RANSOM, CO-OWNER, VINTAGE NEW YORK: I don't think we could have opened this store five years ago. People have long memories. And New York's reputation was for these cheap, sweet, four-to-five wines. Cheap, sweet, and kosher is what they used to say. And but it's not the case anymore. We have people who have revelations at that tasting bar every day, people who say, "Oh, New York can't make good wine," or, "Where do you grow your grapes, Central Park?" I mean, it's not common knowledge that New York makes wine.</s>LISOVICZ: Director of the Long Island Wine Council Jane Baxter Lynn is leading the effort to reshape the image of the region's wines.</s>JANE BAXTER LYNN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LONG ISLAND WINE COUNCIL: As the quality of our wines has truly increased dramatically over the last five to 10 years, people have started visiting the wineries more. And they're starting to ask for our wines. But the restaurants until very recently were very loath to put our wines on their menu because we weren't necessarily consistent in our product. And now we are very much so.</s>LISOVICZ: The ultimate stamp of approval, to be included on New York City's most prestigious wine lists.</s>MICHAEL COUVREUX, SOMMELIER: We stocked two others</s>LISOVICZ: Ad campaigns and support from the culinary elite helps sales. But Gallucio knows that the business really hinges on the quality of the fruit.</s>GALLUCIO: Great wine, great quality wine is made right here in the field. It's grown, not really made.</s>LYNN: At the moment, we have 3,000 on the vineyards and the potential probably to grow another 2,000 acres. We're focusing on the premium wine aspect as opposed to the quantity aspect because we will never have the quantity that the other vast acreages in California and elsewhere have.</s>LISOVICZ: With the rich and famous Hamptons crowd only 25 minutes away and 500,000 tourists pouring into the vineyards annually, Gallucio is leaving no stone unturned. Gristina is open to the public for weddings, corporate events, even pig roasts.</s>GALLUCIO: We had six or seven pigs, whole pigs, on these grates. We have a tourism business here at this winery, which attracts on average 2,000 to in the peak season 25,000 to 30,000 people a week. Here a weekend, we'll get 1,800 to 2,000 people running through this place. And their propensity to spend is phenomenal because we're in an economic zone of prosperity here.</s>LISOVICZ: Gallucio picked an opportune time to get into the business. In 2000, $19 billion were spent on wine consumption in the U.S. alone. One year later, his pleasures are still simple.</s>GALLUCIO: We're making something that's wonderful, that people enjoy. We get a chance to interact with friends and new friends and yet-to-be-new friends. And it's just a blessing. We come out in the morning with a cup of coffee and literally watch the sun come up.</s>LISOVICZ: While Gallucio is in good company on the east end of Long Island, on the 3,000 acres of vines in the region, 47 vineyards and 23 wineries are currently in operation, producing about 500,000 cases of wine each year. Up next, from grapes to green. What's this man in a suit doing in a golf cart making lots of money? He doesn't play golf. But David Price certainly knows the business of golf courses. His story when we return.