Reflection Journal Prompt:
Write an overall reaction to the leadership in the Hunter Valley. Describe (in-depth) how the industries lead in the Hunter Valley.
Prior to our trip to tour a few different wineries in the Hunter Valley, I was unaware of Australia’s prominence in the wine industry, particularly at Hunter Valley. Because I’ve only really known of Yellow Tail Wine, I had never really thought of Australia as being a provider of higher-end wines. Seeing the region that produces this wine was impressive, but even more so was learning how these different companies function. An over-all theme of the three wineries we stopped at seemed to be that each business treated its employees like family, enhancing the employees’ work experience.
The first stop, Mount View Estate Winery, was a quaint place with a single lady working the wine tasting. I was surprised that I did not see many other workers around besides just a couple guys. She explained to us a little bit of how the local wineries work. There are many wineries in the area, but because of the different soils in the region, many different types of wine are able to be produced.
The next winery we stopped at, Leogate Estate Wines, definitely appeared to be the largest of the day. It was a beautiful setting, perfect for upscale events like weddings. Our tour guide detailed to us the inner-workings of the business. The business is broken up into two separate parts, the kitchen and the winery, which work together to act as a premier destination. She explained how the employees are treated like family rather than just employees, making for an enjoyable work experience.
She also explained that, while every employee technically knew which higher-up individual in the company they would report to if need be, the culture was extremely casual. She explained how the chef was the head of the kitchen and the maître d’ was the head of the servers, and they would sometimes clash. The servers are trained on what wines to recommend as pairing with the different foods offered, adding a cohesiveness to the overall dining experience for guests. All of the employees occasionally get together for meetings to be sure all the employees are on the same page.
I was impressed to learn of her son who had also worked there in the wine making process. At a certain point in the year, he put in an 80-hour work week in just three days. While he earned a salaried wage that is favorable, the leadership in the company also recognize when employees put in the extra work, and reward them accordingly.
I also thought it was interesting how organized the workers in the warehouse were. I asked about how they kept track of all the different wine in all of the different phases. Surprisingly, they simply use a whiteboard with information labeled to their understanding to know what to do next. I would have thought that this whole process would have required a much more intricate system with much more managerial oversight, but it seems that the employees are trusted fairly well and confident in what they do.
The third stop involved a wine and chocolate pairing at the beautiful Keith Tulloch Winery. This winery was also described as a small, family-owned business that treated its employees like family. In order to bring a different flavor to what could seem as an over-saturated wine touring market, they offered the wine and chocolate pairing. The chocolate was made on site along with the wine, giving a unique experience.
Overall it seemed as if each winery brought a unique experience to the wine industry in the Hunter Valley area. Finding out that the community was friendly to each other despite being competitors in the same market shows how friendly and welcoming the cultures in these companies are. The theme of each winery seemed to show that they valued their employees to the point of treating them like family, which results in happy employees that create a successful business.
