Terroir: Experiencing it First Hand

Having gotten everything back in order from my travels and visits with clients in France, Spain and Portugal, I have a new found appreciation for how significantly the geography and the geology affect wines around the world. Having grown up in Northern California, I have traveled throughout many of our wine growing locales, and enjoy and appreciate the differences. Prior to my trip, I would have said I have a California palate. Before leaving, I attended a trade tasting for both Argentina and Spain's Rioja region, and the wines were significantly different from each other, in good ways. I have always tried wines from many areas, but haven't always understood what I was drinking.

Upon arriving in France I immediately visited E. Guigal in the Côte Rôtie area of the Rhone. E. Guigal is a large négociant in France that also has their own vineyards and winemaking facilities. Guigal has excellent wines in a broad range of price points. Getting to see the land and the winery allowed me to understand the different techniques they use, and to understand why certain wines tasted the way they did. The winery has several vineyard designate wines that are extraordinary. Seeing the difference a mountain, direction of a hillside or the soil the grapes grew on was quite a lesson in terroir.

Upon leaving Guigal which is in the Northern Rhone, I traveled down through the valley, witnessing the changes in topography, elevation and soil. Côte Rôtie is quite different from Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and the wines reflect it.

Traveling in to Spain, the weather was significantly warmer, and the countryside was much like California. Feeling at home, you would think that the wines would taste similar to Californian wines. But each region within Spain has significant differences. The wines of Tarragona were much different from Jumilla and Yecla, not to mention other wine districts in the country. And while the countryside reminded me of home, the wines had a different personality. While I know this is because the wines are made with grapes that aren't used as much as in California, I think it also has to do with a long history of wine making and use of the land.

I think I would be remiss not to point out that the attitude towards wine significantly affects how the wine tastes. Yes, in a blind taste test this wouldn't be the case, but when you pull in to a roadhouse in Alicante for lunch on a Tuesday and the two truckers next to you are eating a three course meal with a bottle of wine split between them followed by coffee and dessert, you see a different attitude to wine. In the countries I visited, it is a way of life to take your time, eat well and have a glass of wine with your meal. Coming home, I have found this almost impossible to institute in my own life--instead I am wolfing down my food while being distracted by what I have to do next. Wine is drunk here more like a cocktail, not as a dining accompaniment.

Spain is an immense land, which I found out while driving around it. It has so many different areas, all with their own personality. The Spanish are a very independent people, which is evident in the fact that the individual states have a lot of power in comparison to other Southern European countries. You also see this in the wines, with significant differences between regions and sub-regions.

Portugal was very similar to Spain in climate, but there was a different feel to it. Visiting the Douro River area and tasting the great wines and ports that are produced with distinctive grapes was eye-opening, and sometimes vertigo inducing. Many of the wineries still stomp their grapes underfoot, which was so surprising to me. Also the ports and other dessert wines were extraordinary, and won over many of my traveling companions who previously didn't like sweet wines.

Back on to Rioja in Spain. I had enjoyed the trade tasting the Rioja tourism group gave in San Francisco, and was able to tour many producers in this area. The wines were very good, and agreed with my palate. The people I met here were also very helpful and friendly, making the time there extremely enjoyable. This was the highlight of my Spanish wine tour.

Leaving Spain we headed to Bordeaux. This fabled wine making area I have read about for years, but have never understood the affect the land had on the wine. Getting to visit the different locations; St. Emilion, Medoc, Pomerol, gave me a new outlook on the wine. The geography was surprising to me, such a flat area without significant elevation. Throughout California vineyards boast their elevation, terrain and jagged cliffs. I didn't see that in Bordeaux. But tasting the wines, you see the difference. Yes, they have had significant success in the past, and money has been put in to maximizing the expression of ideal characters in the fruit. To look at a map does not allow you to understand what terroir means for the area. I was able to get to some great 1st growth properties and taste some exquisite wines, which yes indeed tasted unique to the area.

At the end of the trip I was in Burgundy. This was a late addition to the travel itinerary, but well worth getting to. Visiting several sites in the Beaujolais area, it was interesting how different the land was. The Saône river winds its way through, with some hilly areas and other flatter production areas. Many of the sites are small growers who sell their wine to a larger négociant or co-operative. Seeing the difference between small production areas and large Burgundy wines allowed me to understand the wines and the geographical distinctions better. The last stop in Burgundy was at a nice restaurant that served only local wines, which is easy to do in this area, and excellent traditional French cuisine.

Coming home I have been enjoying my glass of wine in the evening. I've been trying some new wines, while also going back to some house favorites. I have been surprised by how my palate has changed, often favoring the European wines I have visited. Some of the tried and true California wines taste big and overpowering recently. Now when I'm browsing the aisles at the wine shop, I know where the wine is coming from, and what impact the terroir has on the resulting taste. This is so exciting to me. Wine education is very important in explaining the story of a wine, and seeing the areas first hand has been enlightening. I recommend touring as many wine producing areas as possible, and am already planning the next itinerary. Argentina.....Chile.....

Salary Survey in this Month's Wine Business Monthly

Subscribers to Wine Business Monthly: This month's issue has the salary survey in it. www.winebusiness.com

Overall salary trend: Surprisingly, salary increases. But also a lot of talk about consolidation and shedding of jobs. I have seen salaries continue to rise, but for very crucial positions. I think this may be driven by the need to put together very attractive compensation packages in order to attract serious talent. While new hires may have seen an increase in salary, this does not offset the large number of people who are suddenly out of work. I think there will have to be some adjustment of compensation programs to address the overall shift in the employment outlook in the industry.

On the Road

Off to visit several of my European wine clients in the next couple of weeks. Will be learning a lot about employment trends, winemaking strategies and thoughts on the state of the international industry.

Salary Information: What is the Industry Standard

While interviewing both clients and candidates I learn a lot about salary ranges for all types of positions. I file the information away for future salary negotiations. While I may talk to 5 people a day about money, I realize that my clients don't. How can you educate yourself about what salaries people are getting at other companies.

First of all, talk to your HR department. Large companies have excellent salary survey data that's done both in-house and industry wide. Your HR manager also is continually talking to job seekers and has a good idea about what going salaries are.

If you don't have an HR department, or are re-evaluating your compensation programs, there are lots of other resources. First of all, Western Management Group, www.wmgnet.com has been doing wine industry compensation surveys for the last 8 years. Members can receive detailed reports about compensation plans and trends in the marketplace. Western Management Group has provided the survey that Wine Business Monthly uses for their Annual Salary Survey Report. This report provides data on the basic job categories in the wine business.

There are a few other websites that provide salary data, but they are not as specific to the wine world. Salary.com and Payscale.com have good location specific pay rates for general job titles, such as Administrative Assistant, Controller, etc. These sites are good for a ball park figure.

Career Advice in the Wine Industry: Mentors: Answers or Guidance

Career Advice in the Wine Industry: Mentors: Answers or Guidance

Confidentiality

I have been mulling this blog posting for a few weeks, maybe months now, but think it is something worth discussing. What is confidentiality?

In recruitment many of my positions are confidential, for reasons such as my client does not want competitors knowing there is a vacancy, the company is going through a restructuring or a host of other reasons. As a recruiter, it is very important that I honor this confidentiality. The wine industry is pretty small. After only a few calls people start to hear that I'm recruiting on a certain position, and often start guessing who it is. While the guesses are fun to hear, I cannot divulge the name of my client.

As a headhunter, I am also contacting potential candidates confidentially. If in my networking I begin working with someone who is currently employed, the same confidentiality is important to them. If I slip up and the employee's work finds out, it puts the employee in a bad spot now and an even worse one if they don't end up getting the job. Many employers never regain the trust in a person they have found out was considering taking another job.

When recruiting some clients have me sign a confidentiality agreement, barring me from divulging the company unless given prior authorization. On the candidate side, many job seekers are more than willing to sign a nondisclosure agreement so that I can tell them everything. I have always shied away from NDAs. Even if I get a signed form, the only thing I have is a piece of paper to show that the candidated blabbed about the position, violating the NDA. I'd rather give less information and only give up the secret when the client OKs it.

It can be tricky to navigate a confidential search. People get preconceived notions about the client based on who they think I'm recruiting for. Some candidates drop out of the search since they can't do their own investigation of the company. Sometimes people get involved in the search process only to bow out when they find out who the client is.

But these problems are insignificant when my client has trusted me with private information. While I do have to work under some generalities, my candidates tend to understand the sensitive nature of the search and work with me to learn more about the potential opportunity. If you are needing confidentiality, work with your recruiter to outline what needs to be kept quiet, and under what circumstances information can be shared. This will keep the search moving forward without any undo facts being exposed.

Hiring Trend: Currently Employed Candidates

Last week Dana Mattioli of the Wall Street Journal wrote an article entitled Only the Employed Need Apply http://online.wsj.com/article. Ms. Mattioli cites how many employers are only interested in hiring people who are currently working.

This isn't a new idea in recruiting. Many job seekers know the best time to be looking for a job is when you have one. If your company philosophy is to hire currently employed people, there are some factors to consider.

• Be prepared to take your time: If you want only currently employed candidates, you also want employees who will act professional. All professional employees give adequate notice before leaving a job, and will need to do the same before they can take your job. Also you will have to schedule interviews and meetings around their schedule to limit any concerns they have about their current employer finding out.
  
• Things are tough out there: People are seeing that jobs aren't as secure as they once were, and may be hesitant to leave one job for an unknown employer. While an employee may be unhappy at their current job, they know what they need to deal with. At the new place they don't know anything about the politics or policies, making them hesitant to jump ship.
• Money still talks: With people holding on to their jobs, being able to offer attractive salaries and benefits will be important. An underpaid superstar knows their worth, and will be happy to accept a job for someone who pays them that.
• Keep an open mind: There have been significant lay-offs throughout the wine industry. Many times people's positions were made redundant after an acquisition or merger. Often new managers want to work with their own team, and don't even consider the talent that was previously handling the job. There are a lot of great candidates out there who have become unemployed for no cause of their own. Take a look at someone who might be the superstar you want.
• Educate the potential hire: If you have a superstar that is interested in moving further along the interview/hiring process, let them know as much as possible about the position. Give them access to key staff members. Be available for questions that arise during their interview process. Follow up with them to gauge their interest. Explain any changes that have occurred in the past and let them learn all they can about the company. Openness speaks a lot about how a company will handle itself in the future.

Hope this information helps. Good luck with your searches.