The California Wine Industry is the Rock Star of Entrepreneurialism

Winemaking is a 8,000-year old industry, withoverall economic impact of the wine industry is $45.4
73-nations producing wine. Yet relative upstartbillion to our state, and $125.3 billion to the U.S.
California gained its #4 rank in global production eveneconomy.
after the Golden State's wine industry had to start- California is the most visited state in the U.S. for
anew at the 1933 end of Prohibition.food and wine- related activities, with 19.7 million
Business is about people, and the California winetourists flocking to the state's wine regions each
industry is made of people who exemplify Stephenyear.
Covey's 7 Effective Habits. Here they are- Women are 52% of the U.S. economy, and
synthesized to work for you:purchase nearly 60% of U.S. wines consumed. They
Habit 1: Proactive: Proactive people take initiative andplay a role in California viticulture, winemaking, sales,
responsibility. Reactive people tend to blamemarketing, hospitality and distribution.
circumstances. As Tony Robbins says, "It's- Although less than 1% of California land is vineyards,
resourcefulness, not resources."California wine is the number one finished agricultural
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind: They setproduct in retail value in the U.S. Vineyards maintain
long-term goals based on their own vision for theirour agricultural heritage, open space and scenic
life, using visualization as an important tool.landscapes.
Habit 3: Put First Things First: They prioritize work- California has created a national mainstream wine
aimed at long-term goals, delegate tasks as possible,culture supported with industry magazines, websites,
and focus on quality results.blogs; and has helped inspire winemaking in all U.S.
Habit 4: Synergize: They think win/win, and findstates.
mutually beneficial solutions to satisfy the needs of all- Family owned enterprise accounts for 90% of all
involved.U.S. business; 50% of America's GDP, and 75% of
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to benew jobs. The majority of California's 4,600 wine
Understood: They try to empathetically understandgrape growers and 2,700 wineries are also
other people and their situations, and listen tofamily-owned and operated, many are
improve communications.multi-generational, with their family name, quality, and
Habit 6: "The whole is greater than the sum of itsreputations on the label.
parts." They apply effective problem solving,The Core of America and the California Wine
collaborative decision-making. Value differences; buildIndustry: Heroic Family Operations:
on strengths, leverage innovation.Family winery operations, like most family owned
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw: They use balancedfarms, are often heroic operations dedicated to a
self-renewal to regain "production capability" andphilosophy. When we support family owned business,
sharpen mind, body, spirit.we sustain the core structure of America. The
The California Wine Industry As Entrepreneurial Model:Tamayo Family Vineyards located in the
- California produces more than 90% of all wineagri-viticulture area of Contra Costa County just one
made in the U.S., and accounts for 95% of U.S. winehour east of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge, is
exports. With our entrepreneurial spirit Californian'san example of the best about American wineries. A
love to grow things, and to make magic happen.simple philosophy drives all that they do:
- California wines have been around since Spanish"'A famous person once said, "Find a job you love
missionaries planted the first vines in San Diego nearlyand you will never have to work a day in your life.'
250 years. Since the end of Prohibition, California hasPerhaps no better phrase sums up what we feel
revolutionalized wine quality with art, science andabout making wine at Tamayo Family Vineyards. Our
innovation.story, like so many others in winemaking, really began
- California's statewide Sustainable Winegrowingas a dream...we once thought how wonderful it would
Program establishes strong environmental standardsbe to actually grow grapes and bring them to the
and practices throughout the entire winemakingtable as wine. Our grapes, our wine....we took a once
process. California vintners and wine grape growersromantic notion and nurtured it into the passion that
provide models for other viniculture and agriculturalhas become Tamayo Family Vineyards...our
producers in America and around the world.winemaker echoes the desire to coax the best from
- California's diverse growing regions, soils, climates,earth and vineyard; and quality elements like French
winemaking styles and people, plus 107 AmericanChateaux barrels, superior American Oak aging...all fit
Viticulture Areas, offers tremendous wine culture andin perfect unison to reflect our winemaking style...our
choice. Our wine industry has been imprinted byappellation...the wines...[and]... their pure and honest
Spanish missionaries, by German, Swiss, French andheritage and birthplace. "
Italian immigrants, with important ventures withWith that proactive clear vision, Tamayo Family
winemakers and modern entrepreneurs andVineyards has won many Double Gold, Gold, Silver
researchers from around the world.and Best of Class Awards, and Wine Enthusiast's
- California wines, chefs and culinary arts haveAffirmation that it's "Wine so good you'll want to
created a nationwide focus on fresh seasonal cookingdrink the whole bottle." Click here:
and dining. Californians care deeply about theDuring these challenging times, no matter what
freshness and quality of what we eat, grow, producebusiness you're in, understand you're in a heroic
and offer.enterprise, and take heart from all the above
- The California wine industry generates 875,000 jobsexamples. We're all in this together. Cheers!
nationwide, with wages totaling $25.2 billion. The