Overview: Founded in 2004 by Kenny Likitprakong, Hobo Wine Company established a reputation for producing well-farmed wines at accessible price points within Sonoma County. Currently operating as a cluster of half-dozen different labels, the brand addresses market shifts towards value-driven options amidst inflation and post-pandemic sales declines.
The Full Story
Likitprakong grew up around the wine business in Sonoma County and started his own label in 2004, just about when Sideways came out. At that time, everybody wanted expensive pinot, US$50-plus, but he couldn’t afford those wines. He noted that it would have been a huge splurge, and the same for most of his friends. The idea of a US$50 bottle was insane. Likitprakong decided to do something about it. Hobo would make good, affordable wines from conscientiously farmed grapes that would sell for under US$20 initially. He stated, “We wanted to make wine at a price that was comfortable for us and people like us,” adding that he is not the kind of person who goes for a US$100 bottle of wine.
Twenty years later, Hobo, now a cluster of a half-dozen different labels, is still making terrific, moderately priced bottles. The model that Likitprakong developed is showing the way for a rising category of California wines. Wine sales have declined worldwide since the end of the pandemic. In California, where the focus has long been on producing either luxury wines or cheap mass-produced bottles, good, thoughtfully made wines like Hobo’s that don’t require a splurge have been rare exceptions. Given the difficult economy in which inflation, war and tariffs seem to have made everything more expensive, wines like Likitprakong’s have become a sort of holy grail in California.
Production & Profile
Making good, affordable wines with organically farmed grapes requires producers to keep their costs down, which, for consumers, means sacrificing familiarity. That might mean making wine with picpoul from Madera County or valdigue from Solano County, rather than cheap chardonnay or cabernet sauvignon from chemically farmed vineyards in the Central Valley. It might also mean shopping for the cheapest deal on bottles every year, switching from corks to screw-caps, and maybe settling for grapes that were machine-harvested rather than picked by hand. Hobo Wine Company specialises in good, well-farmed wines for around US$20 to US$30.
Brand & Industry History
Kenny Likitprakong grew up around the wine business in Sonoma County and started his own label, Hobo Wine Company, in 2004. The brand was founded to provide affordable, well-farmed wines priced around US$20 to US$30 (originally under US$20). Currently operates as a cluster of half-dozen different labels; addresses market shift towards value-driven options amidst inflation and post-pandemic sales decline.
What This Means
The movement towards making these sorts of wines might also help to change the modern California wine culture – which in the late 20th century got less diverse in grapes and styles, and more bifurcated between luxury wines and inexpensive processed wines that imitated the more opulent versions with artifice and manipulation. If they won’t solve all the problems wine faces, they will at least contribute to a short-term solution by keeping the cash flowing and possibly be part of a longer-range recalibration of the California wine business.
Consumer Takeaway
Hobo offers good, moderately priced bottles that provide a point of entry for consumers who are too informed and too smart for cheap low-quality wine. The brand provides affordable wines with conscientiously farmed grapes that keep costs down while maintaining quality suitable for a Tuesday night bottle at home or a good value on restaurant by-the-glass lists.
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