Interview with Stephen Amell and Andrew Harding's Nocking Point

Men only drink beer and women only drink wine. Right? Wrong.

Arrow actor Stephen Amell and longtime friend Andrew Harding stand behind the ideology that dudes can still be dudes and drink wine. In 2012 they created Nocking Point Wines, a winery located in Walla Walla Valley, now home to the popular tri-monthly subscription box service The Wine Club.

Nocking Point is not only a winery, but a lifestyle brand; its evolution is in part due to the support of DC's television series Arrow's community of dedicated fans. Every comic convention that Stephen Amell & co. attend for Arrow is paired with a wine event for Nocking Point. The lifestyle, culture, and community have evolved naturally with the brand; the monthly subscription now contains not only wine, but coffee and NP gear.

For the Nocking Point team, you can like beer and wine; you can like wine and comics. It's all about drinking what you like, unapologetically.

Proof: Where did the name “Nocking Point” come from?

Nocking Point: Super simple. It’s where you knock an arrow on the bow. We wanted to tie into what people know Stephen from on the public side and also conceive of a brand name that could extend beyond wine.

The trope that men drink beer and women drink wine is super archaic, right? Why does this need to be changed? And how does your brand help perpetuate that change?

We're all about drinking what you like unapologetically. Our signature wine at this point is a Rosé and we play into the idea that it’s a “Pink Wine For Dudes.” If you’re judging someone based on their tastes, it says more about you than it does about them.

How does NP make drinking wine fun and not stuffy? What goes into a great wine experience?

You should drink wine for any number of reasons. Celebration, get togethers, Tuesday… it comes to understanding that wine comes from farming. Whatever Hollywood/our culture has done to romanticize it, if you just remember that what you’re drinking came from hard farming, it takes the stuffiness right out.

What was it like creating your first ever wine together?

We were sent 8 samples. We had all of our friends over. Did a blind taste test to pick favorites… then we kicked everyone out, got a little drunk and made the choice that we wanted to make.

You started as a winery, but have now have expanded to become a lifestyle brand. Walk us through that growth.

It goes back to choosing the name. The Nocking Point is a launching pad and there’s no limit to the types of experiences it could lend itself to. Clothes, Hotels, Production… the sky is the limit. As for how the transformation took place, it’s like everything else that we do. We drink some wine, we kick around ideas, and if they make us laugh we drill down on making them a reality.

Why are monthly subscription boxes such a huge trend? I see that there is a wait list for your Wine Club…

We think that the Nocking Point Wine Club is the best wine club in the world. Seriously. Dollar for dollar, we’d put what you get in our wine club box against anyone. From a business perspective, it creates a predictable revenue cycle, and that allows us to grow and make it better. We love having a wait list… but we’re also cognizant that we’re at our best when we can satisfy everyone who wants to be a part of the experience.

If Batman, Wonder Woman and their many superhero friends each had a favorite type of wine, what would it be?

We’ll leave that to the people who created them. I’d like to think that Oliver Queen enjoys a nice Malbec though.

What is the relationship like between NP and the Arrow fanbase/comic-con sphere?

It goes hand in hand. We just did our first collaboration with Zachary Levi and we chose him because - amongst other reasons - he fits in perfectly with our world. People like following the exploits of someone who visits their living rooms via the television 23 times a year. And we’re really glad they do. Our next collaboration is with Cody Rhodes we we're really excited about that.

What is the future of wine?

We’d like to see more young people trying it, that’s for sure. As for the future, who's to say. We like our position though.

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