My Mission: Enjoy and Learn more about Wines while decanting lessons in leadership from the Wine makers of Mendoza. How can Wisdom from 3 distinguished Wine makers help your business? Let's take a peak at the philosophy and practices of 3 Wise Wine Men and find out. Our thanks for your passion, your patience, your depth of knowledge and continuous study of the Fruit of the Gods:

(Walter and Bodega Bressia, Familia Cassone and Bodega Tempus Alba). VIP Tour arranged by Ampora Wine Tours.

The Importance of Tasting and Correction. All of these wine makers care for each harvest as they do their own children. There is daily tasting and testing of wine waiting in wooden barrels for the precise moment when the product is ready to be bottled and worthy of their family name....In short when the child is at long last, ready to go into the world. There is also correction that occurs along the way and every year there is the pursuit of an even better quality. Successful companies know that the key to longevity is indeed such hands-on attention and care by Senior Management and a commitment to continually improve both product and process.

It's About People: The charming Frederico Cassone is passionate about his family wine and jokes that "If you don't like my wine, don't worry! Wine is about people, just like me!" Although this family need not worry about people liking their wines, (The Obra Prima Malbec was both rustic and deliciously elegant) indeed we were so charmed by this young man, that if the wine was not to our liking, we would have bought it anyway as a memory for the experience he provided. Indeed as a consumer myself, I simply do business with people I like. You could have a great product, but if you provide poor service, I'm out of here. Make sure you put likable people on your front line as your Ambassadors.

Importance of Branding Each of these Wine makers seeks to have everyone recognize it's brand and indeed develop brand loyalty. If you don't stand out from your competitors, you'll begin to look just like them. Who wants to be just another red?

Don't rely on one Profit Center and Protect your Big Crop: To minimize risk from inclement weather conditions, wine makers often have various vineyards in different locations i.e. if one area is hit by grapefruit size hale (no joke), the other finca is their insurance for needed production. The Finca Owners also frequently plant olive trees as a second crop for multiple profit centers. Protect your production by not relying solely on one product or supplier. As for protecting that big crop, Finca Owners use protective weather screening as well as decoy fruit trees so that when the grapes are ripe, the birds will go for the sacrificial fruit on the trees and not the grapes. I'm not sure you want a sacrificial employee to bear the brunt of your customer's ire but you may want to have a stock of gift certificates for angry customers.

Take Care of your Employees and Vendors/Suppliers. One of the wine makers we talked with noted that if one of his grape suppliers has a bad year due to inclement weather, he will still buy from him because that relationship in the long-term is so critical. I have witnessed the breakdown in communication and partnership between business owner and vendor. The result is backlogged orders, declining customer service and in the end declining profits. Take care of Vendor Partners that enable you to serve customers.

Use Technology / Argentina's recent Wine Renaissance is due in large part to new technology brought in by Foreign Investment. That technology has enabled the country to maintain it's long tradition and history in wine making but increase both production, quality and earn a growing world-wide reputation. The Bodega Tempus Alba is involved in long-term research in their quest to develop the perfect Malbec--Argentina's signature grape. Cloning from the current best vines, continual quality improvement is assured.

Develop a Global Perspective. The Cassone family has raised their children to always come back home to Argentina, but to first receive education and work experience abroad. Walter Bressia noted that when he begins thinking of creating the perfect wine "He leaves Argentina and first envisions the end consumer in the United States, In France, In Canada." Walter said that part of his success has also been working for and learning from other companies before venturing into his own project. Lesson for Business: Welcome and seek employees that have experience beyond your business doors to develop a global and industry perspective.

Passion is The Secret: I asked Walter, who has a distinguished name in wine making, what are the qualities needed of a successful winemaker? "Passion for Wine is # 1 and loving what you do" is # 2" he said. Walter's sincerity was undeniable as he chatted with us in his wine cellar "What I have given to the wine is minuscule in comparison to what the wine has given to me" . Walter acknowledged the patience of his wife for his "other woman--aka wine". He laughed and noted that "I am better with wine than with women...the wines allow me for improvement ". Successful Business Leaders don't just go to the office they have a passion that is undeniable.

Develop your Executive Team while Learning about Wine.

Contact Rosemary and delve more into the parallels between wine making and any Successful Businesses. Wine Tasting and Leadership Training? ---Perfect Together and never served before it's time. Rosemary facilitates retreats world-wide combining.

Write her today for inspired and creative training in Leadership, Customer Service, Sales and Creativity.

Author's Bio: 

Rosemary Rein is the Author of GO Wild! Go GREAT !Training Seminars for Leadership and Customer Service www.gowildgogreat.com delivering keynote presentations and 1-day seminars in the United States, Canada and Latin America. She lectures internationally and hosts leadership and personal development retreats in tropical Costa Rica.
Email rosemary@gowildgogreat.com or visit www.gowildgogreat.com