Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/230154
[ MR] Of course not! My career in the wine business sounds like it was planned somehow, but none of it was. [ V&WM] OK, but did you have some ideas? [ MR ] I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I did know what I didn't want to do, at least to some degree. That was my sorting device. Something would cross my mind, and I'd think, 'Nah, not that.'" (One example: She thought of becoming a teacher, but dropped that idea after working as a teaching assistant at UC Davis.) [ V&WM] What do you feel are your most important accomplishments at Chandon and St. Supery? [ MR ] At Chandon: consumer focus, first and always. Some wineries considered the wine trade the "customer" and many still do. Brand-building was job No. 1. I also created the first relationship-marketing success, the Chandon Club. w w w. v w m m e d i a.com At St. Supery: also consumer focus and brand-building. Focusing on what we did best – sauvignon blanc and cabernet sauvignon. Arriving at the "wow!" sauvignon blanc, an immediate and direct result of finding the right winemaker. I'm also proud of the talent I cultivated. [ V&WM] Are you applying any lessons from those positions at Villa Ragazzi? [ MR] Sure. It's easy to keep a consumer focus with direct shipping. Brand building! It's hard to maintain a tightly focused product line, but it's vital to effective communication – you must use your nanosecond of attention well. Knowledge of the U.S. distribution system and export keeps you grounded and humble about what can be accomplished. [ V & W M ] L e t 's t a l k a b o u t Women for Wine Sense; you were one of the founders of that organization in 1990. [ MR ] There was all this antialcohol sentiment building up in the '80s. It was all over the press. There were people working it. They were making a living stirring that pot, and nobody was standing up in defense of wine. It was all about alcohol, it wasn't specifically targeting wine, but when you've got alcohol in your product you think, "They're shooting at me, too." So, it was a really frustrating time. At this conference in Santa Rosa, a bunch of us were out in the lobby talking. Julie (Johnson, now of Tres Sabores winery) was there, and three or four other women, and we were talking about what a difficult situation it was. Finally, Julie looks right at me and says, "We could do something." I went, "Right, we could." And so we did. We called a first meeting, and it was one of those things where the energy level in the room was just really up there. It took off really J a n - Feb 2014 | V INE YA RD & W INE RY M A NAG EM EN T 139