Rod Easthope sells 24,000 bottles of unmade wine in 24 hours, worth over £280K

New Zealand winemaker Rod Easthope, who has just announced he’s left Craggy Range to team up with UK wine retailer Naked Wines, has pre-sold 24,000 bottles of unmade wine in 24 hours, worth over £280K.

The unmade wine, which is still hanging on the vine, sold quicker than a case a minute on Naked Wines’ MarketPlace platform, which allows winemakers to pitch parcels of wines directly to consumers to help raise funds and cash-flow.

Rod, who stayed up late to watch the pitch unfold, posted: “Wow. It really is overwhelming to be communicating so directly with you all. The weight of expectation is palpable…”

And Rowan Gormley, Naked Wines CEO added: “It’s fantastic to see our Angels rallying round and showing their support for Rod, and demonstrating the Naked model in action – which is driven by their loyalty and investment.”

The money raised will finance the grapes for Rod’s first two wines with Naked Wines, a premium Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris made from Hawke’s Bay fruit, which will retail for £8.99 and £7.99 a bottle respectively (Angel price).

Naked Wines, who turned three in December, also reached a key milestone this week when it recruited its 100,000th Angel, customers who invest over £24million a year towards future orders, to help discover and fund producers like Rod.

During Rod’s pitch, over 500 Naked Wines’ Angels posted words of support on his profile wall, where customers can chat directly to the winemaker.

To see a dialogue of the action as it happened, visit www.nakedwines.com/marketplace

And independent winemakers looking for funding and UK representation should email eamon.fitzgerald@nakedwines.com or visit www.nakedwines.com/suppliers