Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/230154
n the early 1970s, armed with an advanced French degree and a fairly advanced degree of daring, Michaela Rodeno drove her husband's treasured Alfa Romeo up Mount Veeder. She walked into the garage/office of John Wright, the business consultant who'd been hired to oversee French sparkling wine giant Moet & Chandon's new California venture, and said, "I speak French; do you need help?" That was the beginning of a career that ultimately led Rodeno to the job of CEO at St. Supery Vineyards & Winery, becoming one of the few women to hold such a leadership position in the industry without being part of family ownership. The second employee hired at Domaine Chandon, in 1973, Rodeno rose to the position of vice president of marketing. Working with Wright, she played a central role in getting the winery off the ground, from vineyards through brand development. She created the Chandon Club, a pioneering relationship-marketing and brandloyalty program, and secured a use permit for the only winery-owned restaurant allowed in the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve. In 1988, Rodeno moved on to become CEO of the new, Frenchowned St. Supery winery in Rutherford, which she oversaw from product launch to profitable brand. Among other things, she developed direct-to-consumer sales that accounted for 50% of total company net income. These days, Rodeno is retired as CEO, yet she's hardly idle, running her family's small Villa Ragazzi winery. She's also written about her life as a California wine woman in "From Bubbles to Boardrooms," an informative two-volume memoir written in a breezy, page-turning style and available at Amazon.com as a paperback or e-book. V&WM caught up with Rodeno on a perfect Napa Valley afternoon at her Oakville home. Over a glass of Villa Ragazzi Rosato di Sangiovese, we talked about wine, women, and why the shortest disw w w. v w m m e d i a.com tance to a career goal is not always a straight line. Vineyard & Winery Management [ V&WM] Let's start with the obvious question. Why, with all of the female winemakers and viticulturists, aren't there more female executives in the wine business? Michaela Rodeno [ MR ] Two reasons. One is that most wineries are really small businesses, so they can't afford (outside) professional help; they do all the work themselves. And the bigger wineries are getting more corporate and that world is, I'm afraid, pretty much still an all-boys network. I mean, there are people coming up who are I JMS Stylet-Oil® Choice For Powdery Mildew and Mite control, grape growers choice: have a JMS Stylet-Oil alternative to early-season sulfur treatment. Outperforms sulfur as an eradicant on powdery mildew - University researched and rated 10/10. tylet-Oil is a stand-alone product for powdery mildew. Eliminates early season inoculum growth that can cause late-season epidemics. Unlike sulfur tylet-Oil works well in cool weather, protects around the clock, and harmlessly degrades without potential air pollution. Apply this clean white oil early for mite control throughout the season. tylet-Oil is now available in its conventional formulation or an organic formulaorganic pr complete information and product data. Headquarters 4423 5th P Vero Beach, FL 32968 illiams Lane P F F styletoil@eoni.com styletoil@aol.com www.stylet-oil.com J a n - Feb 2014 | V INE YA RD & W INE RY M A NAG EM EN T 137