Bearing Fruit Consulting

Introducing Pulling The Cork - Discussions On Wine, Talent, Business and Leadership

As you all know by now, I have intense passion for wine.  I am often asked how it all started and while it is difficult to pinpoint the exact time and place I can accurately say I had my first bottle of wine when I was 24 and it wasn't anything special except for the fact that it was a Robert Mondavi wine.  I talked about it recently when Mr. Mondavi passed away on May 16, 2008.   The love affair with wine pretty much began right there. 

Some might wonder where talent acquisition and wine intersect.  I am not entirely sure but what I do know is I often offer some of my favorite wine selections as a gift to candidates and clients who will enjoy it and it is not uncommon to celebrate a successful placement or consulting project with a bottle of wine.  What I have also come to know is that a large number of recruiters and recruiting leaders I know seem to enjoy wine. 

That said I wanted to start a regular series called Pulling The Cork.  To start with it will be housed here but eventually I plan to move it all to its own site. My good buddy and recruiting blog guru Jason Davis has promised to help me set this up (ahem...hint...nudge...Jason I need your help brother).  In this series of posts I hope to share some of my favorite wines with you, thoughts on wines I have recently tasted and generally share my love of wine with those who read this blog. 

On the business end of this series I hope to have guests from the talent acquisition, human resource, marketing, leadership, business and wine community come on to share a bottle of their favorite wine, talk a bit about their wine experiences etc. all while we talk and engage in idea sharing and banter on a myriad of topics.  This will either be a very fun and exciting new way to talk together or a complete bust but I do think it is worth a try.

Wine Making Legend Robert Mondavi Dies at 94

As most of you know by now one of my passions in this life is wine.  The fruit of the vine inspires me, hearkens me back to certain periods of time in life and takes me on an adventure every time I pull the cork on a bottle.   

I was 24 when I first started trying out wine and it wasn't long before my passion for wine began to bloom.  One of the first really good wines I tasted was a Robert Mondavi wine and in large part this led me on the journey to discover all that is wonderful about the world of wine.  I dare say that most people, from casual wine drinker to the most passionate of oenophiles, know who Robert Mondavi is and likely has enjoyed one of is wines at some point in time.

Sadly, Robert Mondavi died this morning at the age of 94 at his home in Yountville, California.  He was a brilliant businessman, visionary marketer and an extremely outspoken and dynamic wine leader who pretty much single handedly put the wines of California on the map. 

My love of wine was first inspired by Mondavi and his wines and I am truly saddened at his passing.  I didn't know him, never met him and have no idea what kind of man he was personally.  The closest I have come to knowing him is the fact that we share the same birthday, June 18th.  However, I feel inextricably linked to him through his wine and the wines I eventually discovered as a result.  I also linked to him because it was his wine that first sparked my interest.  I think that is part of the wonder and magic of this elixir.  It connects people, places and events in such a unique and intriguing way as to be almost unexplainable.  It may seem strange that a perishable item can have that sort of effect but for those of you who love wine or have enjoyed a good wine with friends on a special occasion you will know exactly what I mean. 

Somehow wine made me feel as though I knew Robert Mondavi. 

Strange, I know.  But so true. 

Farewell Mr. Mondavi. 

Thank you for opening the door that led me to many vineyards and so many wines!