Donae Burston started his successful career thanks to one question: How could I get into the entertainment industry without actually being in it? The answer: wine & spirits.
During the height of Atlanta's bustling music scene in the 90s and early 2000s, Donae went head first into luxury beverage marketing with LVMH, finding ways to connect with a new audience eager to discover the world of wine and spirits. Over time, he watched the same thing happen over and over: the people driving the culture around wine and Champagne weren't always the people the industry was talking to. So he built something different. La Fête Wine Company (formerly La Fête du Rosé) started with a rosé from Saint-Tropez and has grown into a brand centered on celebration, inclusion, and the idea that great wine shouldn't come with a velvet rope.
In this episode, Donae talks about what it took to launch a French wine brand as an outsider, how his marketing background shaped La Fête's identity, working with producers in Provence, and what the wine industry still gets wrong about its audience. We also get into how wine distribution has changed amidst a very broken system.
Whether you are an entrepreneur, love rosé all year round, or are just curious how a brand gets built from the ground up, this one's worth a listen.
0:00 Introduction & Donae's Background
3:09 From IT to the Atlanta Nightlife Scene
5:16 Becoming the Hennessy & Moët Ambassador
7:30 Champagne Branding Lessons
10:00 Wine vs. Spirits: Breaking Down Barriers
12:27 Ace of Spades & Regional Leadership
13:39 The Saint-Tropez Trip That Sparked La Fête
16:32 Starting La Fête du Rosé
17:27 Disrupting the Rosé Category
20:27 The Three-Tier System & Distribution
24:19 Expanding the Portfolio: Blanc & Rouge
26:01 Finding the Right Winery Partners
29:15 Diversity, Advocacy & Industry Challenges
30:49 The Travel Initiative
31:18 Inside the Winemaking & Blending Process
36:57 Current Challenges & What's Next
38:54 Where to Find La Fête & Closing