A few years back, I ventured to the Bordeaux wine region.
Bordeaux, France, is seen by many sommeliers as the undisputed king of red wine.
This region has been cultivating vines for over 2,000 years and perhaps has the highest reputation for fine wines anywhere.
There are 111,150 hectares under vine broken down into 65 appellations.
Easily it is one of the largest wine-producing regions in France.
Some 60,000 jobs are connected to the nearly 7,000 vineyards working in the region.
So vital is the wine to the area that even the Bordeaux airport authorities planted vines between the terminal and the taxistand.
To better appreciate the area and see some of the vineyards up close, joining a small group tour was a must.
En route to the first chateau, the tour guide exalted the benefits of Bordeaux's terroir.
The French are notorious for over-indexing on terroir.
Check out the book Judgement in Paris, which explores the Paris Tasting of 1976, a landmark event that forever transformed the wine industry.
At this legendary contest—a blind tasting—a panel of top French wine experts shocked the industry by choosing unknown California wines over France's best.
Of course, any weekend winetaster who has visited even the most humble wine regions has heard about terroir.
The idea is that the wine you are consuming is unique and tasty because the grapes were cultivated in a terroir.
A unique terroir based on geography, soil composition, and the weather.
The tour guide added a third element to terroir - something I had never heard before.
He asked the group what the third element might be, and I cheekily suggested marketing.
My answer drew some laughs from the other passengers in the minibus and even from the guide, but according to him, the correct response was know-how.
That is the tradition, the knowledge, the special sauce that is only known by the vineyard and the winemaker.
The special know-how that cannot be read in books or learned in school.
The know-how can only be obtained by working in the fields, smelling the soil, tasting the grapes before harvest, working the barrels, passing down secrets, embracing apprenticeship, to proper marketing and selling your product.
I loved this added terroir concept of know-how.
Know-how is one of the foundations for successful communications, marketing, and branding.
That particular essence that only you and your organization know how to produce on scale, repeatedly, and successfully enough for clients to keep you in business.
Know-how is experienced but not fully understood.
When you stay at the Four Seasons, you know it is there.
When you dine at Eleven Madison Park, you know it is there.
When you travel via Lufthansa Business Class, you know it is there.
Know-how.
If you need help unleashing your know-how, Caracal is here to help.
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
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