From Marketing to Wine

What work were you doing previously?

I was a marketing director at a large consulting company for sixteen years.

What are you doing now?

I now own a vineyard in Bordeaux.

When was the moment you decided to make the change?

I gave up work for two years to spend time with my youngest son before he left home for university.

I had some ‘Mum guilt’ that I hadn’t seen him as much as I’d wanted while he was growing up, while I was in a big, busy job.

I took advantage of the time that I had to learn/study something I’d always meant to spend time studying, but just hadn’t had the time to tackle properly.

I completed WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) courses, and was bitten by the bug.

So I had those years with my son, and the decision was whether to go back to corporate life or follow a new passion. The decision was easy.

Are you happy with the change?

Absolutely!!

What a fabulous adventure. I’m now 60, my wines are award-winning. I’ve renovated an old tractor barn into a wine tourism venue, which within two years already won the Best of Wine Tourism Gold Award.

How did you go about making the shift?

I started with wine studies to get knowledge and also credibility.

I decided to take it one step further – why not make wine? And I then thought, ‘where do they make great wine?’. A friend suggested Bordeaux. So off I set, and discovered the amazing city along with the wonderful, huge and diverse winemaking region.

I decided to start small – I bought a small parcel of vines and a very run down house which I renovated as a holiday home during the first two years.

Alongside this, I built a network around me and spent time helping my neighbour, talking to people and understanding more about the politics, the industry and the key players and how to go about things.

How did you handle your finances to make your shift possible?

I started small.

I bought a small parcel but in the best appellation (area) that I could afford, so that the wines would immediately have a higher value than others in the region.

I then only worked 2/3 of that land as I also had to buy equipment, and wanted to put more money into the best quality I could afford with a smaller quantity rather than make a lot that would be very average.

Then in time I worked the additional third of the land because I’d built demand for my wines.

I had to label my first two vintages by hand because the cost of a labelling machine was way beyond my reach.

I underestimated the cost of all the machinery – I still don’t have the cash to spend on a forklift truck, so have to borrow still.

What have you learnt in the process?

I’ve learned how resilient and strong I am to keep going, and keep coming up with new ideas to grow the business without having anyone else to lean on financially or emotionally in terms of big decision-making.

My grown-up sons and my friends have been amazing but when it comes to it, the buck stops with me and I’ve managed it!

What would you advise others to do in the same situation?

Do it.

Take your time, start small and enjoy every moment.