The Full Story

It Started with 1,500 Words

In 2019, I decided to start writing about wineries. Not just any writing—deep, thoughtful 1,500 to 2,500-word newsletters about individual wineries. Each week, I would dive into the story of a single winery, exploring their history, their craft, and what made them special.

What started as a passion project quickly became something more. I was building relationships with winery owners, tasting room managers, and winemakers across the country. These weren't business relationships—they were genuine connections built on shared appreciation for the craft of winemaking.

Conversations That Changed Everything

A couple of years later, I launched a bi-weekly podcast interviewing winemakers. These conversations gave me an even deeper look into the wine industry. I was talking to people who poured their hearts into every bottle, who understood hospitality in ways that most businesses never would.

Through these conversations, I was privileged to see behind the curtain of how wineries actually operate. Newsletter readers became podcast guests. Podcast guests became friends. I was becoming part of the wine country community, not just an observer.

The Moment Everything Clicked

As someone who's been in tech since 1993, I was always interested in the tools and systems wineries used. When I encountered reservation systems as a guest, I loved the customer experience. Clean interfaces, easy booking, seamless payments—it all worked beautifully from the guest side.

But then I started learning about what was happening behind the scenes. Through my relationships with wineries, I discovered the reality: systems scattered in every direction, the dominant software built for restaurants not wineries, and costs that made my jaw drop.

$250 per month. Plus processing fees. Plus service fees. Plus, plus, plus.

These weren't massive corporate wineries—these were the family operations, the small producers, the exact people I'd been writing about and interviewing. They were being forced to choose between great software and financial stress.

Building Something Different

That's when I knew something had to change. The wine industry deserved better. These weren't just businesses to me—they were the community that had welcomed me, taught me, and trusted me with their stories.

Before I wrote a single line of code, I sat down one-on-one with wineries to understand exactly what they needed. Not what I thought they needed, not what seemed logical from a tech perspective, but what they actually needed to run their operations.

The result was Block 55: a winery experience platform built specifically for wineries, by someone who understands their world. Every feature exists because a winery asked for it. Every design choice honors the craft of hospitality.

Why Block 55 Exists

Block 55 exists to ensure every winery has access to a full-featured reservation system without breaking the bank. That mission guides every decision we make.

No service fees. No processing fees. No hidden charges. Simple pricing that works for wineries of all sizes.

Our tagline—"The Only Winery Experience Platform Built for Wineries by Wineries"—isn't just marketing. It's the truth. I listen to the needs of wineries because I'm part of this community. Our roadmap is dependent on the needs of wineries because that's exactly how it should be.