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When giving a presentation to a group of strangers, I never quite know what to expect.
Most times, I’m pleasantly surprised. Sometimes, my experience is so great I feel that I should be paying them for the privilege.
Such was the case this week with Wine Entre Femme, an organization of professional women in the wine industry.
Holly Buchanan and I traveled to Napa Valley to discuss marketing with this group of women, who had traveled from all over the globe – France, South Africa, Japan, Turkey – to learn, share, and explore.
This is the cream of the crop – vice-presidents of marketing, chief financial officers, vintners, owners. Both Holly and I were immediately struck by an extremely rare balance of professionalism and personal friendship.
After rocking the house with our presentation and three 30-minute roundtable discussions, I came away with this:
These women know their sh**.
Whether a third-generation grower or second-career vintner, each of these women has immersed herself in the creation of wine. She sees the big picture of all that’s required to make a successful business, from research to finance to marketing. She isn’t afraid of hard work, and often laughs at the “romantic” perception people have of owning a winery. As one woman told me, “Our way of life is hard work – it’s agriculture.”
These women see the big picture.
They do their homework, think big, but try to make business decisions based on reality. Should we create an off-shoot label with a cute name to attract women? How do we protect the integrity of our original brand? Do we even have the financial and operational collateral necessary to give it a try? They realize that sometimes, the answer is no. Holly and I spent a great deal of time talking to this group about “owning” whatever segment of the market they focus on, not just to follow a fad in marketing.
These women are family first, competitors second.
With literally thousands of wines flooding the market, these women are competing with each other for distribution and shelf space. But they recognize the power of relationships. The Wine Entre Femme members not only come together to learn; they share their secrets with each other and bond in ways that empower them all.
Holly and I broke bread (and drank plenty of wine) with these women at their Farewell Dinner on Monday evening, and laughed till we cried at the love these women have for each other and each others’ wines.
Women running up and down the Barrel Room of Trinchero Family Estates, grabbing the wines of their friends and telling others to try some.
Women telling stories of battling Mother Nature and bankers in suits.
Women who realize that in coming together and growing as a force to be reckoned with, they will break down the barriers of a male-dominated industry.
Every industry could learn from what this group does and believes in. I know I have. I miss them already.
Michele Miller is a writer, speaker, and consultant on ways to capture the heart of the female customer. The co-author of The Soccer Mom Myth, she consults with businesses of all sizes across North America
This post– tweeted by Jeff Sexton–couldn’t be more timely for me: On Friday I’ll attend NYC’s Italian Wine Week, called Vino 2010 this year, for the third year in a row.
The first year I met one woman vineyard owner. Last year 4-5. Many of them had taken over their family’s business–phenomenal in Italy with its traditional culture.
After reading your post I’m eager to see if even more women vineyard owners attend Vino 2010. I’ll be sure to mention Wine Entre Femme.
Thanks for the additional insight, Lorraine. I’d love to hear what you find this year in NYC – please do report back!
I absolutely loved this post, Michele! What great insight into an industry we so rarely hear about when it comes to marketing to women. I couldn’t agree more with the statement, “Women who realize that in coming together and growing as a force to be reckoned with, they will break down the barriers of a male-dominated industry.”
Thanks for sharing your experience!
I did not attend the conference but was delighted to attend the tasting in SF on Tuesday. Not only were the wines lovely, but I really enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the wonderful women in attendance. I did a brief blog post about it, but will add tasting notes later.
Patti – glad you enjoyed the post. I hope to work with this group again in the future. They are inspirational.
Amy- thanks for commenting! I look forward to reading your tasting notes.
For everyone who’s interested, here’s a link to Amy’s blog post: http://bit.ly/9olbx9
Michelle
You can find out more about the Twitter tastings at http://www.tastelive.com/
Or send me an email at amybcleary@gmail.com for more details.
Very cool – thanks!
Patti, I agree, I also loved the statement, “Women who realize that in coming together and growing as a force to be reckoned with, they will break down the barriers of a male-dominated industry.” So great that they are able to build these types of relationships with other women in the industry (and the competition!). It sounded like a fabulous time with an amazing group of women!
A few more thoughts on wine entre femme
http://winebookgirl.blogspot.com/2010/02/wine-entre-femme.html