Services Offered & Transaction Fees
Please find below the list of available services offered by my team and I. All prices are in USD. Prices subject to change without notice.
one time, general Distillery & Winery Business Consulting
Got a simple question, or a few, we provide a full distillery and winery consulting services. From distilling, winemaking (see our nose for hire program), winery representation, mentoring, to distribution consulting services (see our referral program), staff training to general business practices, we can cover your needs. For fees, see our hourly rate section.
Long term, General Distillery & Winery Business Consulting
We provide a full distillery and winery consulting services. From distilling, winemaking (see our nose for hire program), winery representation (see our Ambassador Program), mentoring, to distribution consulting services (see our referral program), staff training to general business practices, we can cover your needs. For fees, see our hourly rate section. A minimum retainer fee of $4,000 is required.
Nose for Hire Program
Our nose-for-hire services include wine and whisk(e)y tasting sheet creation, production evaluation and wine or whisk(e)y blend (assemblage) recommendation.
Wine & Whisk(e)y Tasting (Profile) Sheet Creation:
$250 per label
We will need 2 bottles of each wine or whisk(e)y to be evaluated. Discounts are available to clients submitting multiple samples for evaluation.
Chemical Analysis is available upon request. Such analysis is performed by third-party laboratories and at additional cost.
Wine or Whisky Blending Services with Nondisclosure Agreement:
$5,000 one-time fee per wine/spirit (plus travel expenses if distillery or winery is outside Napa Valley.)
I will consult with the distillery or winery. I will suggest different blending possibilities and make recommendations regarding the commercialization of one or more blends. If the blend’s total production exceeds 10,000 cases, an additional fee of 1-3% of that blend’s sales will be charged.
Nondisclosure Guarantee: Our assemblage (blending) consultation services are confidential. We will not disclose the nature and scope of the services provided. The master distiller or winemaker retains all credit for making the whisk(e)y or wine.
Ambassador Program
This program is for distilleries, wineries or exporters who are looking for representation in a territory or several territories for a particular product or portfolio. Prices start from $15,000 per year depending on specific requirements.
Basic Services:
The following are the basic services offered under the Ambassador Program:
- Official representation and customer support in the target territory/territories
- We will become the client’s official representative and customer support arm in the target territory.
- We will handle all inquiries and customer service issues in this territory.
- We will also work closely and directly with the client on all transactions pertaining to this territory.
Important note: We do not import wine or spirits.
- Negotiation of distribution agreements in the target territory/territories
We will work on the client’s behalf to negotiate new distribution agreements in the target territory. Additional fees may be charged to pay for travel expenses, filing fees, legal fees, etc.
- Organization of a private tasting in the target territory/territories
We will organize one private tasting per territory. This exclusive event will be open only to beverage and wine directors, sommeliers and wine and spirit buyers. Our basic program fee is not inclusive of food, beverage and venue rental costs.
Additional Services:
We are available to participate at tradeshows, wine and whisky competitions. We can organize additional promotional tastings or other events. We also provide you with market research and other analytic services as well. These additional services and/or representation services are subject to additional charges and fees.
Referral Program
Our referral program is for clients who need a referral to a distribution network or an introduction to business contacts.
Distribution Network Referral Services: We will refer the client to a distribution network and mediate for the client until the deal is completed. Our referral service fee is a percentage of the transaction fees. The distribution network referral fee is negotiable. It is typically 5-10 % of the gross transaction amount for a period of 24 to 36 months.
One-Time Transaction Referral Services: This program is perfect for restaurants, wine cellars that are undertaking estate sales and for wholesalers as well as retail stores that want to liquidate their stock or going out of business.
We will refer the client to an auction company, a wine brokerage firm or a third-party buyer. We will not negotiate on the client’s behalf; we will simply arrange an introduction between the client and the target business contact. A referral service fee of 1-5% of the transaction amount will be charged upon deal completion. The referral fee percentage depends on the total transaction fee and is negotiable (see schedule A).
Private Collectors Services
We offer consulting services to collectors. We can assist wine collectors in acquiring, managing and maintaining their wines and spirits collection. Basically it is like having your own personal sommelier. The service is billed at our hourly rate or a flat rate can be negotiated. This fee is not inclusive of traveling expenses and the cost of wine.
Seminars / Corporate events
We offer wine tasting seminars to fulfill corporate event needs. The cost of our standard wine tasting seminar starts at $750 for up to 2 hour presentation if hosted in Las Vegas; this fee is not inclusive of the cost of wine nor venue rental. Additional fees apply if the seminar is held outside Las Vegas, NV and fee is not inclusive of traveling expenses and the cost of wine.
The following are the standard seminars that we offer.
Important:
- We can adjust seminar length to meet client’s needs, even on the fly.
- We can develop customized seminars upon request.
The Nose Knows – A look into the olfactory system and its importance in tasting wines.
Duration: 45 mins – 90 mins
If the Wine Matters, so Does the Glass (in collaboration with Bottega del Vino Crystals) – The importance of glassware when tasting wine.
Duration: 45 mins – 90 mins
Making Scents of Wine – Wine appreciation and basic steps on how to become a wine aficionado.
Duration: 45 mins – 90 mins
Cellar Management – How to start and manage a wine cellar.
Duration: 45 mins – 3 hours (with software training seminar)
Wine Aromas & Wine Varieties – An in-depth discussion of the classic varieties and their aromas.
Duration: 1 hour – 8 hours (depending on the number of varieties reviewed)
Bouquet – The biochemistry of wine
Duration: 1 hour – 3 hours
Wine tasting with Professionals – A sit-down tasting with professional wine tasters / sommeliers. The wine tasting seminar revolves around the type of wines the clients wish to taste. Note: Billed hourly, fee is not inclusive of traveling expenses and the cost of wine.
Speaking Engagements – Public & Private Events
Looking for a unique way of bonding with and rewarding your staff, clients, sales associates, and franchisees?
Here’s a brilliant idea: Get the best resource person. Book your wine or whisky related speaking engagement and appreciation seminar with one of the best nose in the business. Sébastien Gavillet, Chief Whisky & Wine Officer of Wine Aromas/(Le Nez du Vin), international wine judge, winemaker, wine & winery consultant, author and editor of the first multilingual wine education blog, www.WineVibe.com, is a professional whisky & wine taster and educator. He is the perfect resource person for a whisky or wine related event.
Sébastien definitely has the experience, the expertise and the skills to give you and everyone else you invite something interesting and refreshing to rave about. One of his recent speaking engagement was at the AmericasMart Gourmet Show in Atlanta featuring prominent keynote speakers like Chef Alton Brown.
And here is what Robert Hall, President of Bottega del Vino Crystals and sponsor of the Gourmet Show event has to say about Sébastien: “Sébastien’s wine and food knowledge is truly encyclopedic and he is a terrific resource to work with.”
Sébastien has also been invited to Lynne Rossetto Kasper’s radio show, The Splendid Table, to speak about wine aromas kits and the importance of aromas in wine.
About his Speaking Engagements
Relevant: His speaking engagement will give you and your staff valuable skills that you can use when wining, dining and impressing your clients. They’re also an excellent venue for networking with clients, associates and franchisees. His tasting seminars will liven up your conferences, retreats, holiday parties, corporate dinners, and other types of corporate events.
Flexible: He’ll go where you want to go. He will hold the Speaking Engagements and seminar at the location of your choice.
Customizable: His engagement and seminars’ format are flexible and can be tailored to fit to your requirements. He can also provide wine accessories and gift ideas – perfect take-away gifts after one of his tasting seminars.
Interactive & Fun: His wine or whisky aroma workshops are interactive. He use state-of-the-art tools like video animation to enhance learning. He easily adapts to the audience and always thrives to make it a fun en enriching experience.
Wine Education
Looking to create your own wine education program but don’t have the time or knowledge to do so? Look no further. We have worked with hundreds of school the world over assisting them in putting together anything from just implementing the Le Nez du Vin to their program to designing an entire program from scratch.
All you need to do is provide your general requirements, your budget and let us do the rest. With thousands of pages of course material developed, we can easily execute your request at a fraction of the time and cost it would take you to complete your project.
By special request and on a case by case basis, we do provide tutoring services as well. Please contact us for more information.
Whisky Education
See Wine Education (same concept)
Hourly Rate for Consulting Services
The billing rate for consulting services varies depending on services and start $250 per hour or $2000 per diem. Blending services start at $350 per hour or $2800 per diem.
The billing rate for administrative assistants and research clerks is $40 per hour.
Billing Frequency
Bills are usually sent at the beginning of each month for services rendered and disbursements incurred during the previous month. Bills may be sent sooner, say, upon completion of the requested work.
All statements are due and payable upon receipt and are considered past due if not paid within 30 days. All past due balances will accrue interest at twelve percent (12%) per annum.
Disbursements
In addition to time-based charges, disbursements directly related to our representation of the client will be included in the client’s bill. Disbursements may include:
- Photocopy: $0.10 per page
- International faxes: $1.00 per page
- Car mileage: $0.58 per mile
- Legal fees: at cost
- Filing fees: at cost
- Delivery/Postage fees: at cost
- Out-of-pocket expenses: at cost
Retainers
Some services require a retainer fee. The retainer fee varies depending on the required services.
Legal Fees
Should a third party pursue legal action against Sébastien Gavillet/Wine Vibe and/or Wine Aromas Inc in relation to our representation of the client’s interests and should Wine Aromas Inc not be at fault or in breach of the service agreement, the client agrees to cover all our legal expenses including attorney’s fees and payment of any judgment awarded against Sébastien Gavillet/Wine Vibe and/or Wine Aromas Inc.
* Our consultants’ titles/qualifications range from Sommelier, Advanced Sommelier, Master Sommelier (from the Sommelier Guild), MOF (Meilleurs Ouvrier de France) Sommelier, Sommelier (A.I.S.), to Professional Wine Taster (WAE).
Schedule A
Transaction Amount
Fees
$10’000+: 5.0%
$100’000+: 2.5%
$500’000+: 2.0%
$1’000’000+: 1.5%
$10’000’000+ 1.0%