Breaking Wine Tradition and Redefining What Premium Wine Looks Like Today with Aaron Pott

0:02John Lee Dumas:Who's ready to rock today, Fire Nation? JLD here, and welcome to Entrepreneurs on Fire, brought to you by High Level, the all-in-one sales and marketing platform. Today, we'll be breaking down, breaking wine tradition, and redefining what premium wine looks like. And to drop these value bombs, I brought Aaron Pott and EO Fire Studios. Aaron is an award-winning winemaker with global experience across France, Italy, Argentina, and Chile, known for biodynamic, organic homemade wines and consulting for top Napa Valley estates. He also founded Missing Thorn, a non-alcoholic wine brand, rethinking modern wine.

0:35John Lee Dumas:And today we talk about global winemaking, finding your identity in the US, the shift to biodynamics, which is pretty fascinating, craft over convention, 100 point winemaking, and oh, so much more. And a big thank you for sponsoring today's episode goes to Aaron and our sponsors. Fire Nation, if you have a high ticket offer and need more quality leads, Nexus Install is designed for you. We'll book you 8 to 20 qualified calls each month, then train you to run the system yourself. Email my team at john at eofire.com to learn more and see if Nexus is the right fit for you. If you are building a real business, you need real infrastructure.

1:15John Lee Dumas:High Level gives you website hosting, funnels, email marketing, automation, calendar booking, payments, and course hosting all on one platform, plus award-winning 24-7 support. Get a 30-day free trial and my full bonus stack that includes a 15-minute private call with me and much more at highlevelfire.com. highlevelfire.com. Aaron, say what's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with. Hi, Fire Nation. Great to be here. Great to be here with you, John. I would say that one thing that people disagree with that successful people have in common, and it's become less popular these days, is to follow your passions.

2:00John Lee Dumas:Following your passions, Fire Nation, because when you wake up in the morning, you're like, guess what? I'm kind of excited about what I'm going to work on today. Maybe I'm really, really excited. And guess what? That person's going to win over the competition 99 times out of 100. And today we're talking about breaking wine tradition and redefining what premium wine looks like. And we have a lot to talk about. So be concise, be brief, but I want to talk about your global winemaking journey. I mean, you've worked across France, Italy, Argentina, Chile. How did those international experiences shape your winemaking style?

2:35Well, my first international experience was in France and I was put in charge of a chateau that was uniquely French. And as an American, that was a very difficult process because you were constantly getting battered by French people who couldn't help but mention McDonald's or Coca-Cola or any of those uniquely American things when they were trying to insult me. but that was a very pivotal moment in creating my wine style because what I realized how to make great wine was using a process that was an estate process. So most French wineries are owned by small families or companies and they make wine from their own estate.

3:38And I think that's the only way to make great wine is to be able to control the growing of the grapes and to be able to control the making of the wine as well, to have the whole process be in one contiguous place.

3:54John Lee Dumas:And I'm sure that kind of had a big influence on you when you returned to the U.S. and like actually finding your identity because when you did return to the States, You went about building a winemaking identity that was rooted in all of these global influences, which is really interesting. So kind of tell us more about that and how you were able to implement those influences from France, Italy, Argentina, Chile, and more. Well, after working in France, I took a job where I was overseeing winemaking in Chile, Argentina, and three projects in Italy and a project in France. and that got me traveling a lot and seeing a lot of what people were doing in the world of winemaking.

4:40And so when I came back to the U.S. and I worked originally for a property here called Quintessa that is an estate property, I started thinking that I wanted to get my own property, my own estate, and create a wine with an identity from that property, a wine that showed where it was grown and how it was grown. And so my desire to find a property also had the identity in it that was myself, a personal identity, and I wanted to be able to plant that property from the very beginning so I could create a property that never had any chemical agriculture use on it. So it was entirely organic from the ground up.

5:37And there was never any agriculture on the property at all. So it's a property that's 100 % organic since the dawn of time.

5:48John Lee Dumas:See, I love hearing this stuff because to me, it just shows that you can kind of bring these outside global influences back into a world like the United States, which of course, you know, has a great history, but not the length of history that some of these other places like France, Italy, Argentina, and Chile have had. And you kind of made this really interesting shift, Aaron, into biodynamics, which I know nothing about, and I'm not sure how popular it was globally when you did this, but what led you away from conventional practices, which of course, you know, most people were doing around the world into biodynamic farming?

6:24John Lee Dumas:I guess maybe first off, define biodynamic farming and then get into the details. Biodynamic farming was created by a guy named Steiner. And he really only gave lectures about it. He didn't write any actual books, but his lectures were copied down and books were created from those lectures. And this guy Steiner, he's well known to all of us because he invented a school system that we know as the Waldorf system. And a lot of schools are using that system. He invented that for the Waldorf cigarette company years ago. But he also had a passion for agriculture. and he invented a system of agriculture that takes a farm and closes that farm down and the farm essentially creates everything that it needs to sustain the farm on that farm itself and instead of adding nutrients to the soil like fertilizers and so on You're using manure from the sheep that you graze on the property.

7:42You're using manure from the cows that you have on the property. You're creating a living soil so that there are worms and microbes in that soil that recreate the life in the soil and make it so you don't have to use any outside chemical fertilizer and so on. And then you're using the sort of natural balance that exists on the property to fight off harmful insects, to fight off disease, and so on. So, for example, if I was being attacked by an insect, I would find something that would create a place for predator insects to go. A good example of this is bluebird boxes. So if I put up a bunch of bluebird boxes on my property, I have a bunch of bluebirds that will kill these insects and eat them, and the cycle of life is continuous there.

8:51So it's a way of balancing your agricultural world so that you don't have to use any outside inputs. And where I saw it first used was in France. I had a neighbor, and that neighbor of Chateau Trolon-Mondeau started doing biodynamics. and in the 1993 harvest, which was a really difficult one, they lost 85 % of their crop to mildew, to downy mildew. And everyone laughed at them in the village. And then when they tasted their wine later on, the wine was incredible. And everybody was wondering, well, how did they make such a fantastic wine and have such a disastrous harvest? And it's, it got me to thinking and I, I met a guy, Francois Boucher, who was the consultant for Domaine de la Romaine et Canty at the time.

9:57And I invited him over to the chateau to look around and to try out some biodynamic ideas. Excuse me. And he really got me into it. And we started doing preparations and we started converting a property, Chateau Latour-Fijac, to biodynamics at that time.

10:20John Lee Dumas:And let me jump in here for a second. How long would it take to convert a non-biodynamic farm into one? It took us three years. I'm sure there was a lot of trial and error there. So, I mean, is it, knowing what you know now, could you say do it in two years or is this just a three-year process? It depends on where the property is beforehand. I mean, the property that we were working with had been using chemical agriculture throughout the 20th century and it didn't have enough, it didn't have enough land to really have any animal husbandry on it. So we had to bring in outside inputs for this property.

11:07John Lee Dumas:We're going to be talking about craft over convention. We're going to be talking about 100-point winemaking. We're going to be talking about launching the missing thorn. You can see that we have a lot to talk about, Aaron, when we get back from thanking our sponsors. Fire Nation, if you have a high-ticket offer, but you are not getting enough quality sales calls on the calendar, Nexus Install is exactly what you need. This is a custom LinkedIn client acquisition system built to help you connect with the right prospects, start real conversations, and turn those conversations into booked calls. Here is what makes it different.

11:40John Lee Dumas:We do not just hand you a bunch of theory and tell you, good luck. We build the system with you. Dial in your audience, sharpen the messaging, run the outreach, and aim to book you 8 to 20 qualified calls each month. Then once the system is proven and installed, we train you on how to run it yourself so you are not dependent on another agency forever. If you have a strong offer, a clear result, and are ready for more quality conversations with real prospects, email my team at john at eofire.com and then we'll set up a call to see if Nexus Install is the right fit for you. Simple, focused, and built for predictable, long-term, quality lead flow.

12:20John Lee Dumas:Fire Nation, if you are building a real business, you need real infrastructure. That is why High Level is Entrepreneur on Fire's featured partner. High Level gives you a website builder and hosting, funnels and landing pages, email marketing, appointment scheduling, payment processing, course and membership hosting, and so much more. Everything you need to succeed, all under one roof. No duct tape, no juggling five platforms, just one clean system for your business. And their award-winning 24-7 support has your back when you need it most. When you sign up at highlevelfire.com, you also get my exclusive bonus stack, a 30-day free trial, a private 15-minute call with me, JLD, access to my weekly live office hours, a digital copy of my book, The Common Path to Uncommon Success, my 50 Days to Something Execution Roadmap, and more.

13:07John Lee Dumas:Visit highlevelfire.com and start building your something today. All right, Aaron, we're back. And as I mentioned before the break, we're going to talk about craft over convention because you're now committed to organic, traditional, homemade winemaking. So what does that philosophy look like day-to-day in the actual vineyard? Bring us there. Take us down to the dirt. So, I mean, really what it means is that we're constantly in the vineyard and that that's kind of the most important place to be. That's where wine is made for us. And so we're constantly trying to make a difference in the vineyard, putting shoots in the right position so they catch the sun perfectly, opening up the canopies so that they catch the sun perfectly, making sure we don't have any disease, making sure that the ground is mowed and ready to go for treating the vineyard.

14:16And then just looking at the vineyard, observing the vineyard, making sure that the water levels are right, that we don't have any fungal issues. So it's just boots on the ground, essentially, being out there and observing everything and being ready for any weather that's coming our way.

14:40John Lee Dumas:Let's talk about 100-point winemaking. I mean, this is pretty interesting to me because you've become a multiple 100-point winemaker and a consultant for these top Napa Valley estates. So what do you think actually separates great wine from world-class wine? Because it sounds like a lot of people can make great wine, but it also sounds like not many people can make world-class wine. So what is the separator? I think the first thing is one has to have a great property. You can't make great wine from a property that's not great. You have to have the right geology. You have to have the right climate.

15:20You have to have the right location. And that's the most important thing.

15:26John Lee Dumas:What are some of your favorite locations globally? Like if you could just name like five off the top of your head that fit that criteria, like what are those places? Undoubtedly, Napa Valley is one of those locations. And within Napa Valley, there are different small appellations that make it great. And it's, you know, it's been great for 150 years for growing wine. Name a couple other global ones. I mean, I think Bordeaux, you have to have a nod towards Bordeaux. Wonderful wines from that area. I'm especially fond of the right bank, Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. I think Burgundy is another place where great, great wines are made.

16:07The Rhone Valley in France is another place. The Loire Valley is another place where great, great wines are made.

16:14John Lee Dumas:So it sounds like France is pretty heavy. France is heavy. I mean, I think the U.S. is not far behind. And I think certainly for growing Cabernet Sauvignon, I would choose Napa over Bordeaux. And for Bordeaux varieties, I think Napa is a real shining star. I mean, we have great vintages every year. And whereas France has difficult weather, maybe one in ten vintages is a great vintage. So we're really lucky to have an incredible climate here in Napa Valley that makes a big difference. Now, this is something I've really been excited to talk about because I actually went through and did a deep dive on athletic brewing, which is one of the more successful non-alcoholic beers that's come on to the scene in the past decade.

17:05John Lee Dumas:I mean, they finally figured out the fact that you can make a great tasting non-alcoholic beer. and they also found out that guess what people want that because people want to crack a beer at their kids soccer game but then be able to drive home like without having any alcohol in their system of course like that's the only option they have so you launched missing thorn and missing thorn that's you stepping into the non-alcoholic wine space so what inspired that direction and what do you see for the future of it i mean i think athletic was a big influence on me They are an incredible operation, and they wanted to make beer.

17:46And their idea of making beer was to, you know, make it great. And their non-alcoholic beer is one of the best, and it's because of their intense drive and imagination. And so I wanted to approach Missing Thorn with the same idea. I love great wine and my first love is my own wine, pot wines. And I wanted to bring that to Missing Thorn. And so when we make a non-alcoholic wine, we make a wine and then we remove the alcohol. And then we use natural flavoring to bring back the essential flavors of the wine. And so it was fun for me to deconstruct the wine, and I would taste the wines after they were de-alced, and I would look at what they were telling me about where they wanted to go.

18:53And in my mind, I would think of a wine, a great wine that I had tasted in the past, and I would model the missing thorn wines after those great wines that I had tasted. So they're essentially little homage wines that are made to be like great wines that I've had in my life. And it's fun to offer that to people that need non-alcoholic wine in their lives.

19:25John Lee Dumas:Aaron, where did the name Missing Thorn come from? It's a fascinating name. I mean, you go from Potts wine, which couldn't be more basic. I know it's your last name. but Missing Thorn is so interesting and unique. Unfortunately, my last name. Hey, my last name is worse. Don't worry about it. Missing Thorn, like where'd that come from? Missing Thorn was the invention of my partner, Stephanie Honig. Stephanie is a real genius in the marketing world. And she was just looking at flowers one day and a rose came to mind. and she thought, well, this is exactly what we're trying to make. We're trying to make a beautiful flower without the thorns.

20:09And so that's where it came from.

20:11John Lee Dumas:For winemakers or entrepreneurs who are listening right now, Aaron, what's the one lesson from your journey about staying true to your craft while, of course, still evolving with the market that you would want to pass along? I think for me, it's just work, work, work. We taste everything. We focus on the tiniest details. And I mean, it's often been said that OCD is not a bad thing in winemakers. And I think that's very true. It's all about the tiny, tiny details and everything makes a difference. And so we're very, very perceptive. We're very thoughtful in everything we do. And we try to make everything we do beautiful and fun at the same time.

21:02John Lee Dumas:So you obviously have Pot Wine and you have the Missing Thorn Wine. If Fire Nation wants to connect with you and wants to learn more about what you have going on, your company, etc., what is your call to action for our listeners today? Yeah, come to potwine.com and we'll tell you all about what we do. Wow. And that's with two Ts, Fire Nation, P-O-T-T, wine.com. Because you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. You've been hanging out with AP and JLD today. So keep up the heat. And for links to everything we talked about, visit eofire.com, type Aaron, A-A-R-O-N, and the search bar, the show notes page will pop right up.

21:44John Lee Dumas:Aaron, thank you for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value, your story, your experience with Fire Nation today. For that, we salute you and we'll catch you on the flip side. Beautiful. Thank you, John. Hey, Fire Nation, a huge thank you to our sponsors and Aaron for sponsoring today's episode. And Fire Nation, are you an entrepreneur on fire who's looking to share your amazing message with the world? If yes, we are now accepting applications for EO Fire. So to learn more about becoming a guest, visit eofire.com slash guest, and we will catch you there or on the flip side. Fire Nation, if you have a high ticket offer and need more quality leads, Nexus Install is designed for you.

22:22John Lee Dumas:We'll book you eight to 20 qualified calls each month then train you to run the system yourself. Email my team at john at eofire.com to learn more and see if Nexus is the right fit for you. If you are building a real business, you need real infrastructure. High Level gives you website hosting, funnels, email marketing, automation, calendar booking, payments, and course hosting all on one platform, plus award-winning 24-7 support. Get a 30-day free trial and my full bonus stack that includes a 15-minute private call with me and much more at highlevelfire.com, highlevelfire.com.