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The other side of the equation...

Posted by triodesteve on October 29, 2011 at 07:35:57:
...is that you have to sell the wine!!!!
So many people think that its all about making the wine. Wrong, wrong, wrong. You have to sell what you make. And I'll tell you, on bottling day when you see all those pallets start to stack up, you get weak in the knees.

I spend way more time selling than making and that goes for most wineries. Probably 99%.

So how do you make life easy for yourself? Well if you are smart, you spend time on your brand development (you don't pick a name that's impossible to pronounce or remember and you don't use your wife's artwork for the label to make her happy, and god forbid you don't save money by doing it all yourself!!!)
You make sure you have a good genuine personality. What? Selling is a people business, first and foremost. if you can establish a relationship with someone, you are way more likely to have longterm sales. There is nothing better than being on the road and walking into an account when some arrogant horse's ass (more often than not from Napa...but we have them here too) has preceded you by 15 minutes. Buyers both wholesale and retail respect you when you are genuine and honest and you can empathize with them. Boy I never thought selling brake calipers for my dad would come in handy, but it sure has.

And then there is the wine. I would guess that 95% of the people who buy my wine (and this is the super premium category believe it or not..I go from $16 to $80), don't have a great interest in how wine is made, how it differs by region, etc. They are not going to age the wine long term. They are at one of my places to have a good experience. Yes they have to like the wine but its just as important that they like me and my story.
These are not wine geeks. They are wine drinkers. I take the opportunity when I can to try and educate telling them to wait a while before the crack the bottle open. Some listen and will hold, but most won't. I don't make apologies for my wines. It's not plonk or anything, but this is a business and I have to do what makes sense in the marketplace.