Thoughts from Unified

Last week the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium was held here in Sacramento. It is one of the largest seminars and trade shows that the wine industry has. I have been attending it for years, and it is always a barometer for how the wine industry is doing, as well as more personally, how WineTalent is doing. It was at the 2005 Unified Symposium when I offically announced that I was opening my own winery executive recruitment company. Prior to that, I had attended the meeting for several years while working for my old employer.

Every year the seminar covers the overall economic situation for the wine industry as well as current trends in sales, marketing, winemaking and viticulture. Having attended it for years, I've seen those charts arrow up and down. I've seen the changes in winery marketing involving websites, blogs and now Facebook and Twitter. The big wines have gone from White Zinfandel to Cabernet Sauvignon to Pinot Noir. And I've looked at a lot of tractors and other machinery in the trade show.

But one notable change that I saw this year was a dearth of postings on the Job Board. (yes, there had to be an employment slant to this posting, dear reader). From the first year I attended I have put a job posting on the job board that Unified has set up outside the exhibit hall. I have become such a slave to the job board, I now jockey for space on the board the first day the convention center opens for registration. This year I quickly put up my business cards front and center on the board and followed up with my marketing posting the first day of the symposium. Checking back on it from time to time I replenished my business card supply and checked out any other postings that were there. I started to see an alarming pattern. There were VERY few other postings up there. I think by the end of day three there were only four jobs listed from wineries, of which at least one was a summer internship. There were several cards posted of job seekers and consultants which is not unusual. One surprising thing was that none of my usual recruiting competitors were there.

While I was able to get WineTalent posted front and center, this lack of other winery jobs is troubling. Going to visit some of my old friends in the trade show I grabbed Wine Country Classifieds recent mailer. This only had one or two jobs listed. I know Winejobs.com hasn't had the usual volume of advertising. Yes, it is a slow time for hiring many winery jobs, but there are usually more openings that what I saw last week.

The economic and business discussion during the seminars reflected the tough times many wineries have faced in the last 12 months. But wine consumption is up again this last year, and several wineries have experienced good sales for 2009. While small producers and high priced brands were hit hardest, there were still many success stories in those areas, as well as wineries that had stellar results. While many of the experts were quietly optimistic, this was not evident on the job board. There have been some comments that things are beginning to improve and the economy is getting better--both for the economy at large and for the winery world. I do see some new energy going into recruiting and have a sense there will be some increased movement in the job market this year.

One surprising turn of events this year was that someone ripped my posting down. Three days I had it up with no problems--which is normal. When I went by on Thursday, it was nowhere to be found. A couple of my cards were still on the board from days earlier, and I did have a backup posting which I quickly put up. But I was surprised that with all the real estate up for grabs, my posting would be taken down. There were a few business cards from a recruiting service I have never heard up right where my posting had been. Did they take mine down? I think there is room enough for a few winery recruiters in today's market, and there was plenty of area for more business cards to be tacked up. I hope it wasn't a mean-spirited recruiter who removed my information. We all need to be professionals in the wine business and the recruiting business to make sure people--both candidates and clients--want to do business with us.

Ok, so maybe there is a bit of the Cranky Recruiter in this post, but I do see things improving out there on the job front. It may be taking longer to find a job, but let's hope it is thawing out a bit and new opportunities will present themselves to you. Keep chipping away at your job hunting activities--patience and persistence often brings rewards to those who practice them.

The Wine World gathers in Sacramento: Unified Symposium

If you are just getting your feet wet looking for a job in the wine world, you might consider stopping by the trade show at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium which is being held here in Sacramento this week. It is a great opportunity to find out what new research has been going on in winemaking and viticulture, learn from industry experts about marketing and forecasting, and find out what the state of the wine industry is. Having gone to the event for the last ten years or so, it is a must attend.

And if you are looking for job openings, stop by the job board posted near the main entrance to the trade show--pick up my card!

It has layers

Okay, I tasted the greatest wine at an event held on Wednesday night by Nordby Construction and Moss Adams LLP. During Unified many companies host events after hours, and a very good wine friend of mine invited me along to this one. The wine being poured was excellent, and the food was helpful to keep me in line. My friend sipped several selections, and then brought along a glass for me to try. She did give it a smiling endorsement, but didn't do more than that. I took a sip, and was floored. It tasted so clear and pure--with excellent fruit flavors and what I guess they call balance. And something strange happened, it felt like there were layers of flavors. It sounds odd, but it's true. I asked my friend about it, and she echoed that experience. I have heard of this, read it in reviews, but was floored to experience it so perfectly. The wine was a 2006 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir. I wasn't writing down tasting notes, so can't tell you the exact vintage/vineyard designate--but I will tell you it was one of the best tasting experiences I've had. Now, of course I know they are a great pinot producer--but that first taste was blind, and it was a great wine. Thank you for the wine and the experience.

Unified Symposium, First Thoughts

Just getting back to my desk after three meeting packed days at the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium here in Sacramento. The first days seminars were mostly about sustainability. The second day, and most attended seminar, was the State of the Industry, where great information was shared about vineyard plantings, sales of wine, consumer attitudes and business issues. Yesterday was more marketing driven, with excellent information on marketing wine to the public, particularly millenials.

On Wednesday and Thursday there was the trade show, with two floors of tractors, barrels, corks and other vendors showing their wares. Here's me on the trade show floor. Although I wish I was on a tractor, this will give you a little view of what the trade show is like. I've been going to the meeting for over 10 years now, and it is very nice to meet up with old friends, learn what's facing the industry, taste some new wine and get some great swag. I now have two free wineglasses to commemorate the occasion, as well as two Riedel O glasses, a few corkscrews, some great "green" shopping bags, and lots of reading material.

The first time I attended Unified I was so surprised to see all the wine flowing at the trade show, and in some of the seminars. During the show, it is not unusual for people to be talking to a vendor with a glass of wine in their hand, and many times also in the vendors hand. Doing business this way is so foreign to many of my friends. When I've been at a hosted lunch and wine tasting at Unified and then stopped by to visit my husband at work, he experiences a culture shock. Drinking on the job for many is taboo--and especially for him. But in the wine world, it's work.

I'll report on some of the specifics soon. I hope to see you there next year.

Unified Symposium

Next week the annual Unified Wine & Grape Symposium will be held here in Sacramento. I will be attending all three of the regularly scheduled days. This is a great opportunity to hear about the latest developments in the wine industry and to catch up with old friends. I'll report back on what I learned next week. If you are interested in learning more about it, please visit http://www.unifiedsymposium.org/

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.