Fine Wine Confidential Podcast

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Episode #17 shares with you, the listener, the events of the night I resigned as Vice President of Sales after over 4 years at William Hill Winery. 

After the '21 Club Event in May 1987, it became clear that it was time for me to move on from William Hill Winery. In the Immortal words of Kenny Rogers, you have to know when to hold 'em, and when to fold 'em. 

For me it was time to fold them. The question then became: when? Well, it happened on the afternoon of April 12th, 1988, just before a Black-tie dinner William Hill Winery was hosting at Jasper's Restaurant in Boston. We had bought the restaurant for the evening and had reunited Lydia Shire and Jasper White to collaborate on a dinner once again after several years of them departing the Bostonian Hotel, where they had worked together.  

That afternoon, in a streak of dashing bravery with no new career position on the horizon, I resigned just several hours before the dinner. Needless to say, Bill was a bit stunned. But we had a terrific dinner, and he was on top of his game as he dazzled and charmed the trade and press we had invited to share in a retrospective tasting of the most recent 5 vintages of William Hill Gold Label Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Take a listen and let me know what you think.

Thanks for being a listener to the Fine Wine Confidential Podcast. For more information go to www.finewineconfidential.com 

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This Episode captures the moment and evening event when what became known as The White Burgundy Club was established.

I called this new event the White Burgundy Club, and it ran for many sessions during my career. The first is detailed here and occurred on the evening of October 11, 2005, less than six months after recovering from a Heart Attack and 5-level bypass surgery, when I was clinically dead on the emergency room table. 

I recaptured the fun and magic of this club a second time in October 2012 while I was at Jackson Family Wines, later in July 2021 during one of my Podcast Episodes with Virginia Vintners, and for several years after that.

Nothing beats sharing a wonderful bottle of White Burgundy from France with folks who know the wine's value and appreciate the opportunity.

Listen to the Episode or read the transcript below.

Thanks for being a listener to the Fine Wine Confidential Podcast. For more information go to www.finewineconfidential.com 

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In my career, I learned many valuable lessons about business and life that I share throughout my book, Fine Wine Confidential.

In Episode #15, I recount a small sampling of the lessons that helped shape my successes, which were not necessarily apparent to me at the time. This Episode will give you a feel for what I experienced, and I will let my record speak for itself.

My Tell-All Memoir, Fine Wine Confidential, is now published and available on Amazon and other online book sites.   https://www.amazon.com/Fine-Wine-Confidential-Fred-Reno/dp/1946637475/ref=sr_1_1 

Thanks for being a listener to the Fine Wine Confidential Podcast. For more information go to www.finewineconfidential.com 

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Episode #14 is focused on the principle and importance of maintaining brand relevance. In my case, this episode takes you into a Sonoma-Cutrer board meeting back in 1988, at which I proposed what was thought to be a radical idea at the time: to take Chardonnay off the front of the label, à la Burgundy, France, and put the vineyard name in its place.

I had only been VP of Sales & Marketing at Sonoma-Cutrer and on the senior management team for less than 90 days at the time. 

It was a bold move; however, it was increasingly apparent that, with the popularity of Chardonnay during the 80's among the wine-drinking public at large, we ran the risk of being lumped into the sea of average Chardonnay that was beginning to appear in the market at lower prices.

Take a listen

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Episode #13 will take you into the room where Ken Starr was the guest speaker to a group of interested winery owners and personnel to discuss the next steps to take just 90 days after the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Granholm v Heald that opened up direct shipping of wine from the producer to the consumer in most of this country back in 2005.

I was a participant at this luncheon, albeit reluctant at first, as I was six weeks into my recovery from a heart attack and a 5-level bypass surgery. But, I became active and found myself taking charge as the majority of the winery personnel in the room stayed on the sidelines when Ken Starr was explaining he believed that the Federal Trade Commission would be willing to go further to help knock down more of the anti-competitive barriers that wineries still faced as a vestige of the post-prohibition era.

I stood up and started speaking when I should have stayed seated. But I couldn't let this opportunity to take on Franchise Laws pass us by. I ended up founding an organization I named Wine Free Trade Coalition, or W FTC if you will to establish a 501 (c6) non-profit organization to fund the effort. 

Take a listen.

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Episode #12 takes you through the event that led up to what became a fitting tribute to Bill Bonetti and his retirement from winemaking, not just at Sonoma-Cutrer, where he was from the beginning back in 1981, but from his illustrious 42 years of winegrowing.

I had always looked at Bill as the Leonardo da Vinci of the wine business. He was always tinkering, trying to find another way to perfect the process of winegrowing from the vineyard to the bottle. From the day I met Bill back in 1988 during the interview process for the position of VP of Sales & Marketing at Sonoma-Cutrer, I felt I could learn something more from him that would increase my appreciation for the process of winegrowing, and I can say I did.

This episode will highlight how I turned a low-key Beer & Chips celebration on a Friday afternoon at the winery into a full-blown promotional event with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Group and the properties where they had recruited and put in charge of their Dining Rooms Michelin Star chefs from Europe back in 1991 and 1992.

Take a listen or read the transcript below.

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Episode #11 details the testimony I gave at a joint hearing of the California State Senate & Assembly on the Direct Shipping of wine to consumers in November of 1997, when I was President & CEO of Henry Wine Group in California.

Henry Wine Group was the only Wholesale Distributor of wine in the country at the time and to this day still, which spoke out and backed the right of the wine producers to ship directly throughout the country to  the consumer without going through the 3-tier system. 

I was also a member of the Board of the Coalition for Free Trade (CFT) and later served as Vice-Chair from 1999 to 2001. CFT is the advocacy group that would successfully have a lawsuit go all the way up to the Supreme Court. In May of 2005, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the entity that we backed in this action. A significant event that changed the world of wine shipment, albeit with limitations that are still being fought today. 

It was amusing to me in retrospect to be pitted against Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America, i.e., WSWA, in this battle. 

I believe you will enjoy this escapade. Take a listen or read the transcript below.

Thanks for being a listener to the Fine Wine Confidential Podcast. For more information go to www.finewineconfidential.com 

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Episode #10 is about my thoughts on why most Founders of wineries or wine brands are not the brilliant or savvy business people they would like you to believe they are. No,  more often than not, their success, if they have any, is usually attributable to timing or causes outside of their control.

I use my experience with Brice Cutrer Jones, the Founder of Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards, as one example of why I formed this theory. I have said many times in the past that there were two people who were responsible, in my opinion, for the foundational success at Sonoma-Cutrer, and neither of their names is Brice Jones or Fred Reno.
Take a listen and see what you think. 

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This episode delves into a defining moment from February 1986 that catapulted William Hill Winery into the spotlight. At that time, I was Vice President of Sales when Frank Prial, in his popular New York Times column "Wine Talk," made a misstep with his less-than-favorable comments about the results of our blind tasting event. During this event, we pitted our wines against the esteemed First Growth Bordeaux from the celebrated vintages of 1978, 1979, 1980, and 1981—and to our delight, William Hill wines triumphed in three out of the four flights.

This episode not only showcases Bill Hill's remarkable talent for spirited debate but also culminates with Frank Prial gracefully extending an apology in his column, while not coming right out and saying he was wrong, just two months later, in April 1986. 

I invite you to immerse yourself in the captivating details of this escapade—it's sure to pique your interest and provide fascinating insights. Tune in and enjoy!

Take a listen or read the transcript

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Episode #8 is an insider's view of the Henry Wine Group Board Meeting in the fall of 2007, when I was President & CEO.

While reviewing some sales data for several of our top-end California producers, I noticed a disturbing trend that alarmed me. When I opened the meeting, I said, "Gentlemen, I have noticed some significant slowing down of the sales for a number of our most expensive California wines, and I believe something is happening that we should be paying close attention to.

My comments were dismissed mainly by the board, which was composed chiefly of Republican-leaning businessmen. Their response was to comment that the economy was doing fine, especially on Wall Street.

I opened the next Board meeting in March of 2008 with the following comment.

"Gentlemen, I wish I had been wrong back in September, but it appears my intuition was correct". Like good Republicans, they all looked at their shoes and would not look me straight in the eye.

I explain in this snippet why the Wine Business is a Trailing Economic Indicator not a Leading Economic Indicator.

Take a listen. 

Thanks for being a listener to the Fine Wine Confidential Podcast. For more information go to www.finewineconfidential.com