Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 14
Lessons in Lunacy
The reaction from our target customer was so non-committal on the vat samples that we de-
cided to broaden our net. Sean sent bottles of finished wine to two other buyers and I booked
another marketing trip. I had no experience selling wine to trade buyers and we had no track
record in the wine business. On my previous trip I had spoken to a few journalists - like the
radio interview - to promote our direct sales and met a few proprietors of individual wine
shops to get a feel for the market but I hadn't contacted any serious buyers. Now I had to
face the music and I was scared. I organised my trip around key visits then set up to meet
journalists and drop off samples. We had to sell our wine and we had to sell it at a price that
could support our hand-crafted production methods.
Sean took me to Bordeaux airport, coaching me all the way about how important it was for
me to close some sales and loading on unnecessary extra pressure. My flight went smoothly
and once again I picked up my hire car. It was a full year since my last trip. Between my fear
of selling and my new fear of city-driving I wondered how I would last the week. I arrived
at Aideen and Barry's haven and took a moment to breathe in the familiar air.
'I could move back tomorrow,' I said, tucking into Barry's delicious pan-fried salmon.
'Not really,' said Aideen recalling how she'd seen me so at home with the Saussignac
winegrowers. 'Wait until you're sitting on the ring road trying to get to an urgent meeting.'
We talked until midnight. The days flew. I met wine importers, dropped off samples,
offered wine tastings at friends' houses and talked to wine journalists. I almost felt confident
talking about the wines that were now part of us, and yet I neared the end of my stay with
no sales in sight. Sean called every evening for news. It was stressful beyond measure.
On Saturday I met with one of our target buyers, responsible for wine purchases across a
chain of around twenty upmarket supermarkets. He had been open and positive when we
spoke on the phone. His employer was large enough to buy all the production we had avail-
able for sale to the trade. I had high hopes for the meeting.
We ordered our coffees and sat down at a stylish two-person table near the window of the
plush cafe. I talked him through the vineyard, our plans and the wines. He asked questions
and actively engaged in my pitch. We discussed the quantities they would need for different
