This episode of The Best 5 Minute Wine Podcast features a compelling discussion with Laura DePasquale, the Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations for Artisanal Wines at Southern Glaziers Wine and Spirits. A key takeaway is the recognition that wine is not just a beverage but an agricultural product that relies heavily on responsible farming practices, especially within artisanal and fine wineries. Laura emphasizes the importance of responding to consumer preferences, showcasing how the industry adapts to what wine lovers are seeking, particularly in popular varietals like Pinot Noir. Additionally, she sheds light on the industry's evolution toward inclusivity, revealing a significant shift from its historically biased perspective. As the conversation unfolds, listeners are encouraged to explore career opportunities within this dynamic field, highlighting the potential for growth and innovation in the wine and spirits sector.

Your Host: Forrest Kelly is an experienced Radio/TV broadcaster who has interviewed some of Hollywood’s biggest celebrities, from Garth Brooks to Kevin Costner. A lover of wine who is fascinated by the science behind it.

Voted One of The Best Travel, Top 5 Minute, and Top Wine Podcasts.

Takeaways:

• The wine industry is fundamentally an agricultural sector, focusing heavily on sustainable farming practices.
• Consumer preferences significantly shape the wine business, driving trends like the popularity of Pinot Noir.
• A wealth of job opportunities exists in the wine industry, often in family-owned businesses.
• The wine industry has made strides in gender equality, removing its historically sexist biases.
• Artisanal wineries prioritize environmental sustainability, contributing positively to the ecosystem through responsible farming.
• The industry is dynamic, with constant evolution and new career paths for innovative and talented individuals.

Links referenced in this episode:

• southernazglazers.com/careers

Welcome. Welcome to The Best 5 Minute Wine Podcast with Forrest Kelly.

We close out our interview with Laura DePasquale of senior vice president of commercial operations for artisanal wines at Southern Glaciers wine and spirits. Is there something, Laura, that we didn't cover that you would like to maybe highlight as we say goodbye?

The Best 5 Minute Wine Podcast

Yeah. I think that one of the most important things to understand about our industry is that specifically for wine is that this is an agricultural product.

This is farming. This is especially when you're dealing with artisanal wineries and fine wineries.

They're farming correctly and they're doing what's great for the environment. And I think that this is incredibly extraordinarily important.

I think as well, what we do is really based on what the customer is telling us, you know, what the consumer is asking us for. If the consumer tells us that they love Pinot Noir, then we're going all in on Pinot Noir. We're responding to what the consumer wants.

And I think the other thing to understand is about our industry is that there's so much, there's so many products, and it's an industry that's constantly evolving and creating opportunity for jobs here in the United States, where most of these companies are family owned, whether there are distributors. In fact, all the distributors are family owned except for one. And these are homegrown jobs and homegrown career paths.

And it's not necessarily an industry that people think about like, oh, I'm going to go get my business degree because I want to go into the spirit or fine wine business. But there's incredible opportunity, and we're always looking for super talented, innovative, smart people to join.

If joining Southern Glazier's wine and spirits sounds like a possibility, well, head to the website. It's Southern Glaziers with azglazers.com careers. Click the tab that says search jobs. Boom. There you go, 477 results. Give it a shot.

The one thing I do want to emphasize is that the industry did have a, had a very sexist bias perspective for a long time. And I just want to say that having spent a long time in the industry now, it is dramatically different. And it's a, it's a pleasure to be part of it.

Can we tell Hollywood that I've, like the last three movies that I've watched. The only expert in the room when it came to pouring wine, as everybody's gathered around for that warm, fuzzy talk is, is the guy pouring the wine?

It's like, I know yeah. Everybody else is idiots.

Yeah, I know. It kills me. You know what else kills me?

And of course I noticed this is when somebody like, there's a scene and somebody's drinking a glass of wine, and the levels of the glass are different, right? Because of poor editing. It's like, how did you not notice that?

That's funny. I'm gonna have to watch that now to see those little oddities. Wonderful. Oh, man, you've been great.

Super.

Thank you so much.

You're welcome. Thank you, Laura.

Okay.

Welcome to The Best 5 Minute Wine Podcast with Forest Kelly. From the sea to the glass, wine has a pass from Bordeaux to Napa, from Sauvignon to Malo, we look for adventure at wineries around the globe.

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