Tobacco Road Show

Cover Story of Realtor Review Magazine

The trend in marketing in recent years hasn’t simply been selling the product. More often, especially in luxury goods, the mantra is selling the lifestyle. Whether it’s designer handbags, luxury cars or fine wines, each product tells a story, a way of life – the good life. So why not apply that approach to the biggest lifestyle product of them all – the home?

That’s exactly what business partners and wine connoisseurs Dusty Field and Jason Earnest did back in October with a $3-million-plus plantation home in the Anderson Heights area of Raleigh. To help them introduce prospective buyers to the lifestyle they might discover in such a home, they paired it with another high-end product: wine.

The home, which boasts its own full-size wine cellar, was chosen for the launch of a 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from Tobacco Road Cellars, a California boutique winery with a North Carolina flair founded by Field and Earnest four years ago. “The pairing of an exquisite home and our luxury, high-end wine, it’s a perfect combination event,” Field says. “We wanted to release it with a bang and provide a first class wine experience at a first class location,” Field says. “At that price point, it has to have the ‘wow’ factor.”

Real estate agent Jason Stegall with MidAtlantic Realty was the owner and listing agent of the home and Field and Earnest were looking for a unique location for the launch that could accommodate a large number of people. At the time, Stegall had already offered the home for various charitable events. “We’re trying to tap into different circles of people in that price range,” Stegall says. “I knew I wanted to build a house for philanthropists. That’s how it was designed.” Stegall notes that other homes in the neighborhood are known for their large social events. The more than 8,000-square-foot home was the perfect venue for the invitation-only event, which drew about 150 people. Invitees were identified through the Triangle Wine Experience, an annual wine event, as well as from among friends and colleagues who would have an interest in both wine and the home. To complement the home and the wine, the event was professionally catered and the house decorated. Not only were attendees able to tour the mansion, but also get a feel for the home as a place for hosting their own events. In addition to its very own wine cellar and basement pub, the five-bedroom home also features a 600-square-hoot home theater, which the hosts put to use by playing video of the winery’s vineyards and operations. Other features include an all-handmade brick exterior, large brick patio, outdoor fireplace and a spacious 1.17-acre lot complete with formal gardens and an orchard. Architectural details of the home were taken from famous plantations throughout the South, Stegall says.
Field considers the combined event a success and looks forward to doing it again. “I think it created a buzz. People were able to see a level of detail in the house,” they wouldn’t otherwise have seen, he says. “We release three wines a year, a cabernet, a pinot and a syrah,” he says. “We may be looking to do three or more events like this each year.”

So, whether it’s an exclusive event such as the launch of a fine wine or a charity event that raises awareness, giving potential buyers a taste of the lifestyle they could be enjoying in a home may prove an effective strategy with that particular luxury property. And who knows, that next glass of wine your buyer sips could be from his or her very own wine cellar.