Forbes October 2023

The Vice Wines: Bringing Napa Valley Passion To The Next Generation Of Wine Lovers**

Unless you’re inheriting family vineyards—or celebrating an IPO windfall—Napa Valley isn’t the most affordable place to start a wine brand. And when Malek Amrani created The Vice in 2016 he had neither of those—just a vision that placed equal focus on both his passion and business approach. The Vice concentrates on single-vineyard and single-varietal wines from 15 of Napa’s 16 AVAs, has a line of orange wines and bottles that begin as low as $29, far below the average price for the region. Amrani has also just been appointed to the Board of Directors of Napa Valley Vintners—quite a journey for someone who came to New York as a teenager from Morocco. I spoke with Amrani about his love of Napa, his sales-first approach to winemaking and why orange wine may be here to stay.

What was your vision for creating The Vice?

The Vice was a solution to create the wines I was personally looking for. Napa wines are my vice — but it’s an expensive vice. Drinking Napa everyday is something that’s not accessible to everyone. Sometimes I’d enjoy a bottle of a $450 wine — but didn't feel the same satisfaction I would get from something that's a third of the price.

And I couldn’t find one producer that breaks down the Valley and its sub-regions. Some wineries only specialize in mountain wines or only make a few AVA wines. And while Cabernet is king there are so many more grapes grown there. I wanted to create a brand that's more than just the classic varietals — we've done eighteen so far.

Do you remember your first Napa Valley wine?

I started at the top — my first sip was Quintessa. And it was fireworks in my mind. It was just unlike anything I’d ever had before. I grew up drinking a lot of French wines, a lot of Bordeaux. That leather and muskiness, that unique character you get from Bordeaux you really don't get in Napa. Napa is all about tenacity and power and fruit and concentration. So that triggered me.

When did you think of starting your own label?

Like many people, I dreamt of being a Napa Valley vintner. I started with Chardonnay in 2013. The idea back then was it was just a hobby. I already had two successful jobs in imports and distribution — and I thought it was cool to lose some money. Either Uncle Sam was going to take it or I need to invest it. We started with 500 cases. But in 2016 that's when it really became a business.