Some projects don't begin in Boradroom
- BW
- May 25
- 3 min read
Some working days
begin like any ordinary day.
And somehow,
turn into something far beyond “ordinary.”
That day started at 6 a.m.
A quick breakfast in the car,
and more than 600 kilometers on the road
to arrive at our meeting at 10:30.
Around the table that day
were a sommelier running a company specialized in portfolio management and wine sourcing for international markets,
an œnologue leading a wine production company working across different French appellations,
and a winemaker who had been named World’s Best Winemaker twice.
But what connected all three
was not only wine expertise.
They were also entrepreneurs.
And honestly, that is what made the day even more interesting.
The objective was actually very clear.
We were searching for wines that truly matched the market direction we had in mind.
Because it was not only about finding
“a wine we liked.”
It had to be
“the right wine.”
After the usual French greetings,
everything immediately shifted into work mode.
More than 30 wines
were tasted, analyzed, compared, and discussed at a very fast pace.
One thing I always appreciate
when working with experienced French wine professionals
is that they rarely try to make wine sound complicated.
No oversized technical vocabulary.
No need for overly poetic descriptions of every aroma in the glass.
In fact, the words used most often were surprisingly simple:
“Équilibre” — balance
“Longueur” — finish
“Tension” — energetic freshness
“Profondeur” — depth
Because in the end,
what everyone is truly searching for
is often more basic than people think:
Balance. And length.
But when opinions started to differ,
the conversations immediately became deeper.
From technical processes,
to consumer behavior,
to market positioning.
And that was the moment
I realized once again
that theory and real-life practice
can sometimes feel like two completely different worlds.
Because some kinds of knowledge
can only come from experience — not from textbooks.
Another thing I always appreciate
is how open many French professionals are
when it comes to sharing savoir-faire.
Working alongside people like this
often feels like learning things
you simply cannot learn from books.
Especially when a sommelier, an œnologue, and a winemaker
are discussing everything in real time right in front of you.
And of course, my own challenge
was to keep up with the pace,
to debate with real arguments,
and also to be honest enough to say
“I don’t know”
when I did not fully understand something yet.
But in the end,
what made that day special
was not only the wine itself.
Because after tasting more than 30 wines,
we still had not found one
that truly matched
what we were searching for.
And maybe that is what happens
when standards keep getting higher.
At some point,
you become willing to fight for what you truly believe in —
without compromise.
And that became the beginning
of another conversation
that continued over lunch.
A conversation that slowly shifted
from a sourcing project
to something else entirely:
Creation.
Because if the wine we were looking for
did not exist yet…
then why not create it ourselves?
And suddenly, during lunch,
everything started moving very quickly.
Discussion became commitment.
Everyone was ready to truly put things on the table:
Vision. Risk. Direction.
To the point where even I started realizing that
some projects do not begin in large meeting rooms.
Sometimes, they begin around a simple lunch table.
And an ordinary day can unexpectedly become
the starting point of something much bigger than expected.
The four-hour drive back
felt completely different from the drive there.
Because sometimes, the most exciting things
are not the things we originally went out searching for —
but the new things
that are about to be crafted from that day.
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