For a Ewers family Christmas, Cody always brings the wine.
Cody Ewers ’10 graduated from Hillsdale College with a Bachelor of Arts in history and German, a keen business instinct, and an enduring appreciation for wine.
Although wine was not the focus of his summers throughout college, it managed to make an appearance. During a summer internship at the Traverse City Record-Eagle, Ewers worked at a wine bar in northern Michigan after a day of work at the local newspaper. He also spent a summer in Germany where he had his first wine tasting.
“Because the lady was speaking German mostly, I had no preconceived notions of what the wine was supposed to taste like,” he said. “At that point in time I was brewing beer in my closet. Wine wasn’t even on my radar.”
About a year after graduation, Ewers reconnected with his old college roommate Alex Wignall ’10. Over the course of several phone conversations, the two decided to contribute to the future of America by starting a wine label. Wignall devised the label’s name, Preamble, and Ewers contributed the label’s extra touch.
“Being a Hillsdale student and a son of Mary Ewers, I thought it would be a great idea to put the Constitution on the bottle,” he said. “Alex, being a true American, loved the idea.”
Six months later Ewers moved out West to Napa Valley, California to reconnect with his business partner and start the Preamble Wine Company.
When the friends were not engaged in their day job, they poured their time into selling 50 cases of their flagship label, Preamble, a California Red.
“The wine was made by somebody else so we could feel out the market,” Ewers said. “Neither one of us had a formal education.”
In addition to learning on the job, Ewers took a few classes at the local community college which helped the pair develop a stronger business plan and sense of the wine industry. About a year into their partnership, Wignall assumed different career opportunities leaving Ewers with sole ownership of the company.
Ewers has worked several day jobs in the Valley from bussing tables at a wine bar to selling vineyard irrigation systems to selling oak barrels to various wineries across California, the job he holds now.
“Napa is a small Valley and somehow my name was passed around,” he said. “I interviewed to keep my resume sharp and it ended up being a fit.”
Ewers’ current employer, Seguin Moreau, sells oak barrels, an essential tool in the aging process of wine.
“It’s basically like I’m an advisor to a painter,” Ewers said. “I’ll recommend a splash of color to finish the painting.”
Although Ewers plans to eventually make his label a full time job, winemakers in the Valley have counseled him to keep his day job.
“Without a day job I would be nowhere. I’d be the same dumb kid as when I got here,” he said. “Working has been important for my personal growth and business growth. “
Ewers’ experience at the viticulture supply company contributed to his business education in the wine industry, a facet he did not expect to develop.
“Selling irrigation systems taught me the brass tax of how to put together a vineyard,” he said. “That knowledge has proven incredibly useful to me as I go out to look for grape contracts because my business depends on finding grape growers. You can’t make good wine out of bad grapes. That experience began my real time education in the field.”
Mary Ewers, Cody’s mother and director of parent relations and the president’s club at Hillsdale College, has enjoyed the perks of having a son in the wine business.
“I’ve learned a lot about wine,” she said. “All of Cody’s friends work in the Valley and work in the wine industry and it’s fun to visit him.”
Family holidays tend to reign in Ewers’ unique skill set.
“Christmas is really fun because before we open gifts, we get in the hottub, and drink champagne that Cody brings,” she said.
The wine label’s debut in the Hillsdale College community launched on Constitution Day at the Allan P. Kirby Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship in Washington D.C.
Ewers’ label comes with a copy of the Constitution upon request for every bottle served.
Craig Kreinbihl, the director of operations at the Kirby Center, picked up on his fellow alumnus’ efforts and knew the project would embellish Hillsdale College events in Washington, D.C.
“We got to get both good wine and a good message,” Kreinbihl said. “It made sense at the Constitution Day event. I think there’s a natural message about the Constitution and that’s our work here — but our work isn’t serving wine.”
Since his start in 2010 at 50 cases of wine, Ewers’ 425 case supply is sold in California, Washington D.C., and on the road to Ohio and Michigan markets.
Although the company has received the bulk of Ewers’ care, the purpose behind label allows him to recall the purpose behind his move out West from Cincinnati, Ohio.
“I get tons of great feedback from liberal union workers and right wing tea partiers about the label’s apolitical message about the education of self-government,” he said. “That what I love about it. It’s not a republican banner, it’s the banner of truth. At least, that’s what I sell it as.”