7CELLARS PIVOTS AND CONTINUES TO GROW WINE BRAND

By Joe Ross
John Elway learned to think on the fly as an NFL quarterback. When things looked insurmountable, he’d call an audible to help move his team down the field. Jump forward to 2020 and Elway and his team at 7Cellars figured out a way to outsmart the defense – in this case COVID-19.

The Denver-based wine company shifted marketing efforts and began pushing its lineup of moderately priced products online, oftentimes with free shipping. Up to 50 percent of the brand was moving online, and more people were putting 7Cellars in their glasses.

“It’s all about our team and how they work together,” Elway says. “We want to build the (brand) for the long term, like every team I’ve been a part of.”

To launch 7Cellars, Elway’s executives included Robert Mondavi Jr., as well as 30-year business partner Jeff Sperbeck. Dan Foster serves as president.

A fourth-generation wine maker, Mondavi Jr.’s family has produced award-winning wines in the Napa Valley since the 1960s.

Working with Mondavi Jr. to create a wine brand seemed to be a perfect fit after the success Elway had with Elway’s restaurants, located in Cherry Creek, downtown Denver, Denver International Airport and Vail.

Last year, when restaurants were closed and unable to sell wine, Sperbeck said the online push began. That was accompanied by adding more liquor stores and outlets such as Costco to the distribution list. “COVID definitely slowed the process,” Sperbeck says. “But when one door closes, another one opens.”

Although up to 80 percent of the wine was sold in Colorado just two years ago, nationwide shipping also has increased out-of-state sales tremendously, Sperbeck adds.

7Cellars offers the Elway Reserve, which hit the market in 2015 with a cabernet sauvignon and a chardonnay. That was followed up with a lower price point: The Farm Collection, which includes a cab, a chardonnay and a pinot noir. The Farm Collection references Elway’s playing days at Stanford University, which has carried the nickname The Farm since the school’s inception. “We have the right price and a great product,” Elway says, which has resulted in a winning combination.

Elway says Broncos head coach Vic Fangio was one of the first from the Broncos to give the thumbs up to 7Cellars cabernet sauvignon. “Vic’s a wine drinker,” he says, “He likes to eat meatballs and he says they go great with the cab.”

Additionally, “every one of the varietals gives to a cause,” he points out. Elway and 7Cellars recently donated funds to Team Rubicon, which trains and deploys veterans to help out in areas where disasters such as hurricanes have taken place.

7Cellars also has teamed up with OneHope, which provides charitable funds to organizations around the world.

As for the future, 7Cellars plans to open a tasting room this summer in Rutherford, California, in the Napa Valley. In addition, Elway says 7Cellars is exploring the spirits scene and could produce a whiskey soon.