Ep. 897 Jim Morris | Uncorked
Welcome to episode 897 in which host Polly Hammond interviews Jim Morris in this episode of Uncorked\nShow notes:\nToday we are joined by Jim Morris, Vice President of Guest relations at Charles Krug, Napa\u2019s oldest winery. Jim has made it his mission to remove the pretension of the wine business, leading the way with a cultural program that includes wine, art, food, and history. And he\u2019s certainly succeeding. From a jam packed virtual event schedule during Covid, to a remarkably full schedule in 2021, and now, onto the second consecutive year of unparalleled event scheduling, including the Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa Valley.\nLearn more about todays guest:\nVice President of Estate Management and Guest Relations of Charles Krug Winery ,home of the oldest winery in Napa and oldest tasting room in California\nMorris\u2019 tenure in the wine industry spans nearly two decades and includes a wide array of winery activations, Direct to Consumer management programs, and sales supervision. Most recently, he was tasked with overseeing the opening of Flanagan Winery\u2019s Healdsburg tasting room and their existing winery\u2019s full-scale renovation. Prior to that project, the Washington native was the lead in launching the tasting room experience of MacPhail Family Wines at The Barlow market complex in Sebastopol.\nBeyond those previous ventures, Morris has played an important role in helping to build complete winery experiences from the ground up, as he was instrumental in commencing the Direct to Consumer programs at St. Anne\u2019s Crossing Winery and Truett Hurst Winery respectively. Additionally, he has been key in helping improve the profitability and appeal of both Michel-Schlumberger and Martin Family Vineyards, which saw significant increases in revenue and traffic during his tenure at each winery.\n\u201cMy goal is to create a memorable wine experience for everyone who visits us,\u201d shares Jim. \u201cAt Charles Krug, we have an obligation to share our remarkable legacy and lead the way for Napa to become a cultural hub through wine, art, food, and history.\u201d\nAnd Jim insists that it is his mission to remove the pretension of the wine business. \u201cWine is complex enough. When you are starting as a student of this industry, there are really only two wines made in the world \u2014 yummy and yucky.\u201d\nLearn more:\nwww.charleskrug.com/\ntwitter.com/sonomawineguy\nMore about the host Polly Hammond:\nPolly is Founder and CEO of 5forests. She splits her time between Barcelona, Auckland, and Napa, consulting, writing, and speaking about the trends that impact today\u2019s wine businesses. She\u2019s an advisor to New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, host of Uncorked with the Italian Wine Podcast, cohost of the Real Business of Wine with Robert Joseph, and, occasionally, a knitter.\nPolly is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where she earned degrees in International Relations and French. Those studies led to a deep and abiding love affair with behavioural Economics, and her wine work is based on insights into all the crazy and irrational reasons consumers engage with brands.\nWith over 20 years experience in growing successful companies, Polly knows first hand the challenges faced by independent businesses. She approaches each client experience with empathy and understanding for what it takes to adapt and thrive in the real world.\nTo learn more about Polly Hammond visit:\nTwitter: @mme_hammond\nInstagram: @5forests\nwebsite:\xa05forests.com/\nLet's keep in touch! Follow us on our social media channels:\nInstagram @italianwinepodcast\nFacebook @ItalianWinePodcast\nTwitter @itawinepodcast\nTiktok @MammaJumboShrimp\nLinkedIn @ItalianWinePodcast\nIf you feel like helping us, donate here\xa0www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/\nUntil next time, Cin Cin!