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An Interview with Michaela Rodeno

by R. Veronique Fitzgerald

Right Time, Right Place, Right People

The scene was the late 80’s, in the midst of a hostile social environment for wine with a rising surge of attacks on alcohol--new warning labels, fetal alcohol syndrome scares, drunk driving campaigns and grade school education programs that associated alcohol with illicit drugs. 

A small but powerful group of women in the wine industry called a meeting to which there was a strong response. Michaela Rodeno, then St. Supèry’s new CEO, was one of those leading the charge.

“I guess it was the right time, right place, right people” she says. According to Michaela, the two toughest decisions to make in the beginning were what to call themselves and if men should be included. These decisions were made rather quickly and Women for WineSense was born. 

As a member of the board of directors, Michaela worked on the first step of WWS’ battle plan, which was self-education before trying to educate others. (Apparently, the winery’s photocopier died an early death creating the large packets of information required for this step!) She took a turn as president two years after inception, succeeding Julie Johnson, cofounder of Frog’s Leap Winery and founder of Tres Sabores. 

Serious About Work and Career

Armed with an MBA from UC Berkeley, Michaela credits that and her good fortune for landing her a post on the opening team of Domaine Chandon and allowing her to be part of its growth.  She also speaks with gratitude of her boss at the time who was “willing to trust an inexperienced person like me with important work.”

“Going to business school for an MBA demonstrated I was serious about work and career, plus what I learned expanded my horizons from marketing to broader business issues.”  In addition to her qualifications and her fearless drive, being fluent in French helped her land the post.

Adaptability, perseverance, strategic thinking and people skills

When asked what advice she would give women entering and growing careers in the wine industry today, she lists as essential tools for success an understanding of how business works (wineries are businesses after all), adaptability, perseverance, strategic thinking, and people skills, as the wine business is particularly people oriented.

“I learned to speak up,” Michaela says, “having eventually understood that no one could read my mind and that I shouldn’t expect others to focus on my issues because they’re too focused on their own.”

Having worked for two mid-sized wineries, Michaela says if she decided to start a new business today she would not be at all interested in building mass market wine concepts. If she were to build a brand now, she’d try her hand at a small, high quality wine. The disparity between high quality Sauvignon Blanc and its contemporaries Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio baffles her as a wine lover. 

“I would like to see balanced, flavorful, zingy, high quality Sauvignon Blanc get the respect it deserves in the U.S. market,” she says. “In France, top white wines from all growing regions (Loire, Bordeaux, Burgundy) have approximate price parity, but in the U.S., that’s not the case. I don’t get it.” 

Perhaps we see a fabulous, zingy, high end Sauvignon Blanc from Michaela in our vinous crystal ball? The wine would certainly be welcomed by the ladies of Women for WineSense!