Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/299589
8 2 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | M a y - J u n e 2 014 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m and visit the large retailers directly. I never used to be able to do that, I always had to meet with the dis- tributor. I have better relationships now with some of these large retailers than the distributor does. If that continues to happen, these retailers will tell us how to make wine – add some more acid, add some more sugar, add some tannin. And if that happens we'll just have sameness. These guys are not qual- ified to tell us (how to make wine), but we let them because they've got big purses. [ V&WM ] I imagine this also o c c u r s w i t h w i n e r y m a r k e t i n g departments telling winemakers what to produce, perhaps because some particular variety is hot at the moment. [ NG ] That's a disaster when that happens. The marketers need to live and breathe the same air as the winemakers and viticulturists and not be stuck in an office in San [ NG ] If you come up with a new package, it's awfully ineffi- cient. It costs a lot more to make a glass mold that you only need 100 cases of and you can't run it down your bottling line, and you've got to hand-label it. [ V&WM ] What about alternative packaging? [ NG ] That's a lost cause over here. In Australia you can go to the store and buy $40 or $50 2 liter bag-in-box. We can't even get our consumers to understand that there an alternative to cork, let alone putting a high-quality wine in a Tetra Pak. But I'm all for it, because we need more consumers. If there are people who feel more comfortable opening a wine in a bag-in-box, I say go for it. You want wine in a crown seal? Fantastic. Anything that's new and innovative and excit- ing, and challenges the status quo? Go for it. Francisco. The cultural understand- ing of what great wine is about comes directly from the people making it. They're the ones with the passion and the knowledge and the understanding of what makes great wine, and you have to be able to transfer that into marketing. [ V&WM ] What can U.S. win- eries do to get more attention in international markets? [ NG ] Leave the country. Don't expect that the world's going to come to us. Our buyers in the U.S. are going to Vinexpo and the London Wine Fair and Prowein (in Germany), but how many Ameri- can wineries actually go to those shows? Very few. The California pavilion is always tiny – we're usu- ally one of the smallest. [ V&WM ] Since this is our annu- al "Packaging & Closures Issue," I want to ask for your thoughts on wine packaging in the U.S. Would you like to see more innovation? BEST VINEYARD/WINERY EQUIPMENT SUPPLIER Carlsen & Associates For more than 25 years, Carlsen & Associates has provided the wine industry with functional, high-quality equipment, from crush pad equipment to pump systems and ozone machines. The company uses quality components and materials, along with the latest in fabrication equipment to create its products. Rather than importing its offerings, Carlsen & Associates has the ability to build most of the equipment it sells, and takes care to make sure clients get the right equipment for their individual needs. Owner Jim Carlsen believes that fine craftsmanship is most readily obtainable from people who are working at what they love to do, and with this in mind, Carlsen & Associates has worked to develop its products and staff with equal care. The company's stated mission is to provide the highest-quality product and back it up with the highest level of service. In other words: Make a great product and stand behind it. Thanks to all of the folks that voted for us. We will continue to make quality products, taking good care of them and you !!!