Unified Wine and Grape Symposium: Follow-up

The whirlwind of the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium is over now, and I'm catching up with lots of new contacts and old friends. The State of the Industry meeting was informative. As I mentioned, the economic downturn was reflected in forecasts for 2008. The wine industry has been expanding in the last several years, and things have been very positive for wineries. Sales have increased, price points have risen, new wineries have been opening up, and corporations have continued with their acquisitions.

One of the telling indicators was the data from restaurant sales. One of the best performers in restaurant sales has been Cabernet Sauvignon, often at high price points. The presenter mentioned that one of the reasons is that these wines are bought often by bankers and other executives during business meals on their expense accounts. As the economy, and specifically banking, is hit, those dinners will be curtailed by both the individual and the companies footing the expense check. There was caution expressed about sales going forward--so the wine industry is understanding that consumers may have less money to spend on special occassions, higher prices luxury items and related purchases. But consumers are buying wine in the US like never before, and younger people, namely the "millenials" are buying lots of wine.

Trends in wine drinking are reflecting the health benefit findings from 2007 of compounds in red wine. Red Wine consumptions has continued to increase. Wine drinkers are also becoming more willing to try new varietals, with lighter red wines seeing more sales, as well as different varietals including Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio seeing big increases in restaurant purchases.

Pinot Noir is still the biggest winner in the varietal category. Merlot and blush wines are still the ugly stepchildren of the wine world. Surprisingly, as long as you are a Rose wine and not a blush wine, things look rosy for you. So those of use who like a good pink wine can drink it knowing it's still cool!

The falling dollar has also had an effect on wine sales of imports. Spain and Italy have done very well marketing to US consumers, reflected in their increased sales figures.

Although everyone is screaming recession in the popular media, indicators show continued consumer spending in wine. So smart wineries should be able to take the Unified data and make educated decisions to continue strong wine sales.

Unified Wine and Grape Symposium

Tomorrow I'll be attending the annual wine industry meeting that is held here in Sacramento. The meeting is always very informative about the state of the industry, the status of different winegrowing areas and varietals, forecasts, and the winery of the year. I've been going to Unified for over 10 years now, and it's always a great time to connect with old colleagues and gives me a chance to meet new faces.

This year I am interested to see what the wine industry's take on the economy is. Litening to the news it seems that everyone has jumped on the recession bandwagon. Back in 2000 and 2001 I worked not only in the wine industry but also in IT. All of my IT clients were scaling hiring back and planning on a long slow recovery. Talking to my winery clients they were almost unaware that the tech sector had suffered a setback, and didn't think it would greatly affect them. But soon the auctions weren't bringing in the dot com dollars of years past, and people were spending less of their money on dining out and on wine. So, what will Unified have to say about the economy tomorrow? I'll let you know.

Wine Industry Job Hunting: Timing

Happy New Year Everyone:

It's been a hectic yet exciting holiday season here at WineTalent, and I've been lax at getting postings up for you. For you wine industry job hunters, if you don't know by now, this is the season to be looking for a new position. Production positions including winemaking and enology are typically filled from now until May, with emergency fills being put in at the last minute prior to harvest in the fall.

The hiring season occurs because wineries have finished the harvest push and have taken stock of what positions they need at the winery. Also several wineries have their fiscal year begin in January, so they are aware of the anticipated headcount they need for the year. Additionally, wineries make staff changes after harvest to address any inadequacies they have in their staff.

Take stock of your job situation, and start putting feelers out if you are interested in making a change. Timing is everything.

Questions to Ask in an Interview

Looking over several recruiting websites recently I have noticed several listings of helpful questions to pose your interviewer. It is always good to have some questions for the interviewer. Asking questions shows that you are interested in the opportunity and thinking about how you can help the prospective employer. I have culled the following list of questions from the web:
What type of growth and advancement opportunities does this position offer?
What would my first project be?
Does the company offer educational assistance and/or continuing education/training?
Who will I be reporting to?
What are the job responsibilities?
What is the timeline for hiring this position?
Can I contact any other employees about the position?
Should I follow up with you about this position?
These are just a few. Plan on having some thought up before you show up for your interview. It will show that you are serious.

Holiday Job Search: Follow Up

To follow up on the last post, I just read in the Career Journal of the Wall Street Journal that they too recommend keeping active with your job hunt during the holiday season. A few things the article mentioned was that hiring managers do like to find candidates through their referral network, and that the holidays can be a great time to participate in annual holiday events. Also, fiscal year budgets often coincide with the calendar year, and managers are eager to fill head count positions that are open. Many times executives are looking at the upcoming year's budget, and are interviewing in anticipation of hiring at the beginning of the new year. These are opportunities for you to get noticed now--and not after the holidays. Lastly, with the holidays upon everyone, many hiring managers hope to stay near home. This gives you an advantage to catch them at their desks and often with time to schedule an impromptu interview.

Keep at it--no time like now!