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Dear Wine Insiders,
It’s no secret that I admire winemakers. I’ve often said that anyone who can successfully run a winery could probably run General Motors.
At small family wineries – the ones I’m drawn to – “ma and pa and the kids” do it all. Not only must they grow great grapes and make a superb product, but they have to market their wine to consumers. Lots of different skills are involved. (At General Motors, there are dozens and dozens of vice- presidents responsible for all these tasks.)
A number of years ago, one of my favorite vintners, legendary pioneer Louis P. Martini, was relating how the wine business had changed over the years. Louis remembered setting up a stand in the 1930s on Highway 29, the road that runs down the middle of Napa Valley. He sold all the wine he could produce, a bottle at a time. Louis sighed and lamented, “John, you’d be surprised at what it takes to sell a bottle of wine today.”
Nowadays, third generation winemaker Michael Martini employs an entire marketing team whose responsibilities include coordinating summer concerts at the winery, winemaker dinners throughout the country, year-round tasting, national advertising, and more. Staying competitive today requires an enormous marketing effort.
And, remember, the enterprise is entirely dependent on weather, which may be why there’s a great deal of humility among vintners.
I admire winemakers for many reasons, not the least of which is that they make a healthy, historic beverage. As one sage put it: “Wine is the most civilized thing mankind has done.”
Kind regards,
John Davis, founder, Wine Insiders
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