Wine, Work and the Simple Art of Connecting

The Wall Street Journal recently asked whether knowing your way around a wine list has become the ultimate business flex. We think there's something even more interesting happening around the bottle.

Wine has a funny way of making people nervous.

Which bottle should I order? Am I supposed to know this grape? What if I pronounce the region wrong? Is everyone else at the table secretly more knowledgeable than I am?

We'd like to propose something considerably less stressful:

Maybe knowing everything about wine isn't the point.

Maybe wine's greatest business skill has nothing to do with knowing Burgundy classifications or confidently navigating a 40-page wine list.

Maybe it's simply really good at bringing people together.

A Different Kind of Wine Meeting

That idea recently landed Dutton-Goldfield in The Wall Street Journal.

In an article exploring the role wine still plays in professional relationships, the Journal featured our friend Jennifer Ward, owner and managing partner of Ward Law, and a tradition we've been fortunate to share with her firm.

Every few months, Jennifer brings together clients, colleagues and business partners for a virtual Wine Down with Dutton-Goldfield.

We send the wine. They gather wherever they happen to be. And someone from our team joins them on Zoom to taste together, talk about what's in the glass, share a little Sonoma County and Dutton family story, answer questions and, inevitably, wander into conversations that have very little to do with wine.

That's kind of the point.

Jennifer described it beautifully to the Journal:

“There's something about wine that gives everyone the permission to slow down and connect.”

We couldn't agree more.

You Don't Need to Be a Wine Expert

The headline of the Journal article asks whether being a wine connoisseur has become the “ultimate business flex.”

We'll leave that debate to the comment section. They appear to have it thoroughly covered.

Our experience has been almost the opposite.

The best wine conversations aren't about demonstrating how much you know. They're about getting curious.

Why does Pinot Noir grown six miles from the Pacific taste different from Pinot grown farther inland?

What does all that Russian River Valley fog actually do?

Why would a farming family spend decades growing grapes in one particular place?

And perhaps most importantly:

Do I like what's in my glass?

There are no bonus points for identifying obscure aromas. Nobody gets sent home for mispronouncing Gewürztraminer. And “I don't know, but I really like this” remains a perfectly respectable tasting note around here.

Wine should invite people into the conversation, not give them another reason to feel excluded from it.

Sometimes the Wine Isn't Really the Point

That's one of the reasons we've enjoyed Jennifer's Wine Down gatherings so much.

Yes, everyone learns something about wine.

But something else happens, too.

People linger.

Questions lead to stories. Coworkers discover things about one another they didn't know. Clients get to interact with people outside the usual meeting, presentation or business dinner.

For an hour, the relationship isn't built around a transaction.

It's built around a shared experience.

And that's something wine has been doing for a few thousand years, long before anyone decided it might look impressive on a résumé.

Bring a Little Wine Country to Your Next Gathering

Jennifer's Wine Down series also reminds us that you don't necessarily have to bring everyone to Sonoma County to share a little bit of wine country together.

We've loved creating these experiences with Ward Law, and we're open to doing more of them.

If you're looking for a different way to bring together clients, colleagues, prospects, leadership teams or friends, we'd be happy to help create a private Dutton-Goldfield virtual wine experience for your group.

We can curate the wines, ship them to your guests and join you virtually from Sonoma County for a relaxed, interactive tasting built around your group.

No wine expertise required.

Just bring some curiosity.

Interested in creating a Wine Down of your own? Contact us to start the conversation.

And congratulations to our friend Jennifer Ward and everyone at Ward Law for the well-deserved mention in The Wall Street Journal. We're grateful to have a seat at your table.

[Read “How Being a Wine Connoisseur Became the Ultimate Business Flex” in The Wall Street Journal.]