Page 19 of Corkscrew You
We’re almost conversing. Good start.
And obviously up to me to continue.
“So I guess we should open the kimono,” I say.
Where I got that phrase from, I’ve no idea.
There’s a little twitch around Nathan’s left eyebrow, but apart from that, his face offers no clue as to what he’s thinking.
“Talk about what you’ve got in mind,” I elaborate. “For the winery.”
Am I right? Was that a quick show of relief? I wish I was as people-smart as Chiara.
“Sure,” he says. “You want to talk here or in the house?”
I can see why he’s asking. The office is a little … crowded. The desk and shelves are covered with files that haven’t been filed, as well as books, bills (ugh), memo notes, a half-eaten apple (how long hasthatbeen there), and a novelty mug I keep pencils in that saysWhite Trash Wine Glass. A present from Jordan, who still thinks it’s hilarious.
But the house is my personal domain, and I can hear Chiara telling me to keep a professional distance.
“Here’s good,” I say. “Let me just clear a space.”
“I’ll come back in an hour, shall I?”
Sarcasm! A welcome sign we’re getting back on track.
As it happens, it takes me ten seconds. I lift a pile off the desk and place it on top of another pile on a nearby shelf.
I place a folding chair in front of the desk for me, and gesture for Nathan to take the seat behind it; hastily throw the half-eaten apple in the trash before he does.
“OK.” I give him his cue. “What’s the plan, man?”
He stares at me, as if trying to decide whether I’m having him on. Verdict goes in favour of me being sincere. Or else he can’t be bothered wasting any more time.
“The standard ways that wineries make more money,” he begins, “are to increase production, raise prices, and cut operating costs. Flora Valley’s production is at capacity, and any new planting we might do would take at least five years to become useful.”
“If we raise prices,” I butt in, “we’ll lose our existing customers.”
“You’re losing them anyway,” he says. “Pre-orders are way down.”
Can’t deny that. Want to. But can’t.
“Your operating costs used to be pretty low,” Nathan continues, “but not since you lost your free family labour. Your equipment needs to be replaced, and if we are to have any chance of increasing production in the future, upgraded.”
“Is JP prepared to outlay that kind of money?”
He’s the only one in any position to do that, so it’s a pertinent question.
“On condition, yes.”
Here it comes. The plan I asked for – and am not at all sure I want.
“Flora Valley succeeded primarily because of the association with your late father. The downside of that is, the Billy Armstrong brand eclipsed the winery’s own brand. Flora Valley Wines needs its own identity now. It needs to reinvent and relaunch. To a new range of customers.”
There’s nowayI’m letting him erase my dad from our ‘brand’. But if I put my foot down now, that’s the end of it. I’ll be patient, and I willnotsnap the handle off this coffee mug.
“Go on,” I say, with remarkable calm.
“Today’s wine consumers are a different breed from even five years ago,” he says. “They’re vastly more cost-conscious. That doesn’t mean they want cheaper wine, but equally, they don’t want luxury for luxury’s sake. What they want isvalue. And that value comes partly from quality compared to price, but mostly from the experience they feel the wine delivers.”
