I’d noticed, when I would go to Italy, that the Italians loved watches and timepieces. In fact, it borders on a national mania. I would always have a dependable watch on, but my Italian counterparts would have these electronic sundials and steampunk chronometers flashed upon their wrists. It was fascinating to observe.
That said, I’ve been running the idea up the flag pole that the Swiss watchmakers could impart some valuable lessons upon the Italian viticultural landscape. This quote (with additional following ones) from Terreni that really drove this idea home was this:
“Emotions don't come from the turnover that you make or the profit that you make. Emotions come from what you can give in terms of pleasure to people who buy the products and crave what you are making. This is something that evolves over a long period of time.”
We often pooh-pooh the notion of emotionality, as if it is an uncontrolled, irrational thing. You read in the business pages that the stock market is going haywire, running amuck, feeding off emotions, and one might get the idea that an emotional basis might not be most stable foundation. But Terreni thinks differently. It’s how one captures loyal customers, and keeps them. I find this path to be a solid one, as it was something that I saw again and again. If you’re just filling a slot, making a product for a possible demand, it could be very successful. But it might be a flash in a pan. Look at some of the classic wineries in Italy, they seem to be more like watchmakers than trendsetters. They are moving from generation to generation, at a slower pace, with not quite such a steep angle of ascension. But they are moving towards their summit. That’s part of their evolution.
E la nave va
“If it's just technique it's a cold tool,
because you have to do something with that. When you exalt the technique,
that's not the emotion you are looking for. Emotions come from much more than
the technique itself. The technique is the level of execution that you put into
the creation, and it's incredibly high.”
How many times do we hear the litany of techniques
winemakers use, as if they’re reciting the necessary words for entry into a
world they want to be admitted to? They spout the oak regimen, down to the
forest they found the oak in. The pH is chanted religiously, as if 99% of the people
they tell it to has any idea what pH is. The titratable acid, the alcohol content
even. All this blather about technique, technique. Or scores, even worse. What is
missing from the incantation is the creation, the rendering, resulting in the
energy that goes into the wine. It’s the stuff of the soul.
“Where I found my pleasure, and where I found my role becoming full, was in shaping the soul of what we were providing to the client, to somebody who falls in love with your brand.”
Soul, the holy grail of rabbit holes for marketer and cynics. How many times have I heard, “Keep the woo-woo factor out of it; give the wine buying public a drinkable wine, a snappy label and a good value.” Nothing about soul. I was in enough of “those meetings” to know that soul-shaping in the alcoholic beverage industry is not exactly the mainstream. But Italy? That’s a different story. People look to Italy and to the Italian winemakers, and their marketers, for soul. Emotion and soul, against everything we were taught in business school, but I’d say for Italy and Italian wine, essential. Where there is soul, the brand will follow.
“It's quite an insane thing to spend that kind of money to know what time it is when you get it for free on your mobile phone.”
How many Italian winemakers have spent $5-6,000 for a
watch (or more) but when it comes to their wine, they find it hard to ask a price for a hand-crafted wine that in France no one would blink an eye
at. I know, there are some pre-existing conditions in Italy. But 60 years later,
it’s time to stop trying to make the monkey dance to the music of the hurdy-gurdy.
Italy is an artistic center for the world, it’s been estimated that between
40-70% of the world’s art is located in Italy. I’m not saying we all have to
drink the daily equivalent of a Rolex watch when we open our Chianti or
Verdicchio, but it is also important to remember that this is a product born of
the earth and emotion, and you get what you pay for. I’m just saying, clumsily,
that when it comes to Italian wine, the Italians constantly apologize for their
craft and undersell themselves, too often.
“Niche brands have an extraordinary, bright future ahead of them if they nail why they exist.”
This is an existential notion, isn’t it? And while Terreni is talking specifically about watches in this quote, I see applications in the world of wine, and Italian wine, without a doubt. We are seeing more of this from Italian winemakers, much more than we did 30-40 years ago, so we are heading on the right track, in my opinion. Our connection to the land, to the wide variety of indigenous grapes and styles of winemaking, all of this feeds from the wellspring of intention and the “Why am I here?” question. My quixotic answer? Scratch your niche.
“The culture of watchmaking is not something you measure in quarters or in years — you measure it in decades, in centuries.”
I don’t think the Swiss watchmakers and the Italian winemakers
are too far apart from this idea, but it is worth emphasizing, that time in
wine is just as crucial as it is in timepieces. And while even a well-made wine
might not have as long of a lifespan as a well-made watch, it’s instructive to remember
the saying, “The mill of God grinds slow, but exceedingly fine.” We’re talking
wine, as well as watches, at a very high level. Grand Cru’s, first growths, the
best of the best. The top tier. But it can also be as much of an aspiration to
the producer of Barbera D’Asti or Salice Salentino as it can be for the
landowner and wine maker on Cannubi or in Montalcino.
“My passions are very focused. My job is a passion. Living (in) the present is probably one of the most difficult things you can do in life. And trying to grasp every moment of what I'm doing is what I'd like to do. It's not always easy.”
“Living in the present.” I love how a watch-man talks about time as one thing – one time – the present. And even though the hand in the watch moves along, marking each present moment, it really is a precious thing – time. And likewise in wine.
For the winemakers reading this, you have about all you can manage, right here and right now. Worrying about the next trend, or trying to shape it, takes away from the task at hand. That is to keep your passions focused on making the best, most delicious, and beautiful wine you can make. And I’m glad to report, that has been a largely prevailing mindset that I’ve witnessed in my lifetime, in this magical place, which we love, and know, as Italy.
All quotes by Guido Terreni. His full interview here: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/guido-terreni-bulgari-left-to-run-parmigiani
written by Alfonso Cevola limited rights reserved On the Wine Trail in Italy