1.) My name is John Gayley and I work in a winery in the central coast of California; I wear a number of hats in the winery and have variously worked in wine production in the cellar, in vineyards to monitor the growing season and then assess the ripeness of grapes during harvest, and also in the cellar door, pouring and selling our wine and providing tours of the vineyard and our facilities. I’ve also pitched in with vineyard photography for social media.

 

2.) Balancing the current excess supply with changes (generally decreases) in demand. 

 

3.) (From a purely viticultural perspective), every area is pretty fascinating. However (again from a viticultural perspective), the ones of particular intrigue are those facing extremely challenging growing, climactic or topographical conditions. An example of these are the steeply-terraced and stony vineyards in the Valtellina in northern Lombardia, Italy, or similarly-terraced vineyards on the upper reaches of the Costa Amalfitana in Campania.

 

Other viticultural areas I admire start with an admiration of the quality and the character of the wines, and then stretch back to a more intense interest in the viticulture. One example is the Chianti Classico district  in Tuscany, where there are endless bottles of high quality, Sangiovese-based wines, each reflecting extremely different microclimates, soils and altitudes within a fairly small radius. Another is the Sta. Rita Hills AVA in California’s central coast, which I believe produces the state’s best pinot noirs. The combination of a transverse valley, the cooling effects of the nearby Pacific Ocean, and poor marine-based and calcareous soils lead to pinot noirs that taste like no others. 

 

4.) This is seasonally-dependent, but when I’m working during harvest, the day starts at about 5:30 AM with our vineyard sampling protocols and attendant lab work. We cluster samples and test Brix levels, Acidity and Ph in our ripening grapes, as well as gauging cluster weight, fruit quality and physical signs of ripeness. After logging the sampling results, I’ll update the winemaking staff on the state of the vineyards and discuss next steps for sampling and (as appropriate) harvest sequencing. Afterward, I’ll typically go back into the cellar to see if any of the cellar team need help with production or cleaning tasks.

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5.) These days, either a Chianti Classico annata, or a bottle of Pinot Noir from the Central Otago in New Zealand.

 

6.) I did not grow up in the wine industry. So every day in the winery, or outside the winery on wine-related activities, provides endless opportunities to learn something new. The learning curves can be steep for a novice in the interrelated areas of Viticulture, Oenology and Wine Business. That’s what makes the job for me. 

 

6.) What do I dislike? The American wine industry—centering on an enjoyment and “lifestyle” product, attracts many well-intentioned people with fairly low EI; coming from 35 years of business consulting, surviving in this type of industry has been challenging at times, largely because of the often disparate maturity levels of the people involved. 

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7.) Perhaps; it’s highly dependent on the underlying economics. The assorted costs of landowning, farming and wine production are very expensive in the US, and this works against it. In Europe, I believe it’s more feasible, if the point of reference for “low price” is a US retail of $15-$20. Below $15, it’s awfully hard, but I also believe bulk wine has it’s place in the wine world as a gateway, even if it’s more consistent than artistic.

 

8.) We’ve generally moved away from bigger-bodied and tannic red wines. We’ll drink very big Napa Cabernets on occasion, but only paired with specific foods. Likewise, many Syrahs strike us the same way. 

 

9.) Sangiovese, largely because of its versatility. (Like Pinot Noir), Sangiovese is largely influenced by the territory in which its grown, and this results in a wide range of wine characters and always a delicious wine.

 

10. ) Anything in US wine distribution, which is often thankless, glamourless, bereft of wine romance and run totally on large numbers. In a different vein, many people also think working in winemaking itself is very glamourous. It’s dirty, hard and often tedious work, not only during harvest but also at other times during the year. One professor at the local enology program tells his 1st year students that “winemaking is 75% cleaning, 20% moving heavy objects, and 5% drinking beer afterward.” This isn’t far off.

 

11.) (if we’re talking about advice relative to the wine world): Study the key elements of the wine business in more depth beforehand (and also bone up on organic chemistry!)

 

12.) From a viticultural standpoint, some ideas:

 

—Because unpredictable and extreme weather patterns have been the first harbingers of larger problems to come, winegrowers need to think carefully about the full range of tools that can be used in the vineyard to ensure the current vine plantings survive and prosper—throughout the year and not just during grape ripening. This may require them to be more flexible and rethink whether strict adherence to (say) organics or biodynamics will serve their interests.

 

—Augment the amount of biodiversity in the vineyard, as well as selective elements of regenerative agriculture

 

—Rethink which varietals are long-term “bets”, given the effects of climate change in each region. Some current varietals may have to pulled out or the vines re-grafted with more climate-tolerant varietals that can better withstand higher temperature averages that are coming.

 

—Consider whether all the currently-planted hectarage is supportable (ie, some planting decisions from the past 20-30 years may make less sense in light of climate change, either because of soil suitability, water needs, or other factors, including the farming costs)

 

—Some fruit is just going to need to be harvested sooner to avoid over-ripeness and heat damage. Wineries may need to adjust their winemaking expectations and protocols to reflect this. (One result might be lighter, lower alcohol wines, which may not be be a bad thing.)

 

Generally, to be a leader in mitigating the longer-term impacts of climate change, wineries need to review every process, material and product from the standpoint of reducing the winery’s carbon footprint. (check out the website of Salcheto winery outside Montepulciano; a leader in calculating the carbon foot print of every bottle they produce, which you can calculate on their website).      

 

13.) I study Italian language, and plan my next international trips. And peruse online wine stores looking for bargains.

 

14.) This is tough to answer. Some thoughts:

 

—Call me a traditionalist, but I still believe that France and Italy are paragons of the view of “wine as culture”. From both countries one gets the strongest sense of what wine is, has been through the past 2+ millennia, and where it is headed in the future. Also they convey a strong sense of the degree to which their wines play a part in their national traditions and identities.

 

—That being said, if one wants to see a real-time laboratory of evolving wine practices unfettered by regulations, rules or expectations, New Zealand is the place. A fine sense of tradition in their varietals, but an equally strong desire to experiment, flaunt conventions and find new solutions to old problems in both viticulture and enology. 

 

15.) (if you’re missing a pertinent question from the list above), I’d say “how will the wine industry battle the decline in wine consumption among emerging generations, and try to move the needle?”

 

The answers aren’t totally clear or cohesive. And they are evolving. But I’d say it starts with a different mindset. The wine industry (and emphatically the American wine industry) needs to stop circling their wagons, dismissing the current decline in wine consumption as “just a rough patch" and stop assuming that rising generations will embrace the drinking habits of their parents when they themselves get to their parents’ ages. I think that’s a recipe for accelerated decline. The priorities, expectations and habits of 20- and 30- somethings suggest a bigger and perhaps permanent shift than the wine world wants to admit. (I could say much more, but that’s the gist of my answer.)