“There have been two pillars of Fatcork,” says Bryan Maletis, founder of Fatcork in Seattle. “The best quality sparkling wine in the world and the best customer service we can offer.” Fatcork has delivered both. The company celebrates its 15^th anniversary this year.

Fatcork focuses exclusively on grower Champagne. These are wines made by the same estate that grows the grapes, hailing from the Champagne region of France. Most Champagne, in contrast, is made by large production houses.

Maletis serves as the importer for all of Fatcork’s offerings and also curates the wines. “It’s a portfolio that I hand select,” he says.

Fatcork sells its sparkling wines in large part via club membership. The wines are paired to the season and come with detailed tasting notes. Fatcork also allows customers to tailor shipments to their preferences and puts a premium on service. The result has been a devoted customer base.

“We have an amazing amount of customers who have been with us for 5, 8, 10, 15 years,” Maletis says. (Editor’s Note: I am one of those long-time customers.)

An affinity for sparkling wine

Originally from Portland, Oregon, Maletis grew up in a family of wine, beer, and beverage distributors. He fell in love with wine, however, while visiting Italy’s Chianti Classico region. Maletis subsequently moved to the east coast and worked in a wine shop in New York.

There, Maletis ardently encouraged customers to buy Zardetto Prosecco using a unique pitch. “I said just have this in your refrigerator and open it to create a special occasion,” Maletis says. “Don’t wait for a special occasion.” The idea was a hit.

“The love that I got back from that from customers was amazing,” Maletis says.

Maletis subsequently became a junior brand manager at Winebow, a prominent wine and spirits importer and distributor. Laurent-Perrier, one of the best known Champagne houses, asked Winebow to make Maletis its brand manager.

“It was just serendipitous,” Maletis says modestly. “I liked sparkling wine, but I was young and didn’t have the budget for Champagne. Suddenly I had a front row seat to the world of great Champagne.”

Starting Fatcork

Fatcork’s wine cave in Seattle

Maletis eventually moved back to the Northwest, settling in Seattle. He joined Cavatappi, a distributor which at the time had the city’s best grower Champagne portfolio.

On the side, Maletis got his MBA at the University of Washington. He used his classes to formulate the business plan for Fatcork, with his fellow students and professors essentially serving as consultants.

Then came the hard part. Maletis needed to find grower partners in Champagne willing to sell their wine through an upstart U.S. company. He took an unusual approach compared to today, where Instagram and Facebook are such common modes of communication.

“I did it old school, knocking on doors,” Maletis says. “I got a lot of rejections.”

However, a collection of growers he met with sold a portion of their grapes to Laurent-Perrier and were interested. Six of those growers remain Fatcork partners today.

In naming the company, Maletis had two goals. “I wanted [the name] to be a little bit edgy,” he says. “I wanted it to be about the highest quality but also to be approachable.”

One name kept coming back to the top of his list: Fatcork, based on the unique shape of sparkling wine corks. The response from his French partners, however, was tepid at best.

“They were aghast,” Maletis says. “They were like, ‘Wait a minute, what is this? This is this is a fine French product. You understand that, right?’ Now they love Fatcork and wear [branded] sweatshirts.”

Selling the world’s best sparkling wine

Over the last 15 years, Fatcork has become recognized as an authority on grower Champagne. The company, which Maletis started with his wife, Abby, generally focuses on wines in the $60-80 price range, though it also sells higher priced bottles.

“We have always delivered for the price point what we think is the best quality sparkling in the world,” Maletis says.

Fatcork’s Seattle retail storefront and tasting room was initially intended for members to pick up wine and for occasional events. Now, it’s become a central part of the company’s business and is open seven days a week, with Sundays added this fall.

“The tasting room is really big for us now,” Maletis says. “We’re able to get new people exposed to what we do.”

Earlier this year, the company quietly launched a small side project called The Still Side, focusing on whites, rosés, and reds. Currently offered only to local customers, these are, once again, wines that Maletis hand-selects, often ones that he was intending to buy for himself.

Stylistically, Maletis looks for the same things in still wine that he does with sparkling wine. “I like very high acid,” Maletis says. “I like very clean wine. I like things that have nuance and complexity.”

Fifteen years and growing

Bryan and Abby Maletis, Fatcork

Fatcork’s motto – “Celebrate every day” – comes from the idea Maletis had years ago selling prosecco. Now fifteen years in, Fatcork continues to grow despite a challenging market.

However, the company has been impacted by recent changes within the wine industry. In addition to decreasing consumption, Fatcork has had to navigate increased costs due to tariffs and a weak dollar. Still, Maletis remains optimistic.

“I’m thankful for the growth in a down market,” he says. “We’ve doubled down on supporting our club. We’re not raising prices on the club. What we’re asking customers to do is to keep supporting us and to help promote us.”

Maletis puts it this way to people whose wine consumption might be decreasing. “Right now, if you’re gonna drink less, you might as well drink the best, right?”

Images courtesy of Fatcork. 

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