3. By the mid-1890s, the Korbels shipped their first California
champagnes, and by the turn of the century KORBEL was an
internationally known, award-winning label.
4. Korbel Champagne was distributed out of their cellars in SF
(and Chicago) until the big earthquake in 1906.
Then, Prohibition in the 20s all but stopped the
manufacturing.
6. In the 1950s Korbel was sold to a buyer who would preserve the
legacy of the company. Adolf Heck, followed by his son and the
current owner Gary Heck, made vast improvements to
dramatically increase production and sales.
7. Today, Korbel sells about 1.5 million cases of champagne a year
resulting in a revenue of about $150 billion/year.
8. In addition to 15 types of champagne, Korbel also produces 3 types of
brandy and 7 types of still wines, and also owns Kenwood Winery
9. Most of the grapes are grown on their 200-acre vineyard around the
processing facility/winery, or 650-acre vineyard west of Sacramento.
Some grapes are purchased from other vineyards such as for their
Organic Brut or during low crop years.
Grape vines with
autumn leaves.
10. Demand led to expansion of production in the
80s, and, conversely, more production led to larger sales.
11. This promotional video gives some sense of exactly how
large their vineyards are (pardon the music)…
12. Production and processing of all champagnes still happen on-site.
Small amounts of the other products are contracted out.
13. In contrast to the olden days, manufacturing champagne is highly
mechanized. Human hands are mostly used for inspection.
14. They have a worldwide marketing agreement with liquor giant
Brown Forman. Purchasers & distributors go through BF, then send
their own trucks directly to Korbel to pick up the orders.
15. Korbel incorporates many sustainable practices into their large
operation. For example, treating waste water with more energy
efficiency as seen in this video…
16. More KORBEL facts:
Employs over 550 people (250—production facility, 100—sales & admin, rest--
vineyards).
Takes about 3-5 years of fermentation for champagne to be ready.
Prices for products are higher the further away from CA they are sold.
120,000 visitors to the winery each year, but only 25,000 cases bought by visitors
and through club.
Gets to use the name “champagne” despite the international appellation law
due to being grandfathered in (having started before 1919).
All in all, seems like a company that has grown and innovated
itself for well over a century without having compromised too
much of its original spirit.
