The View from D'Angelo Winery on the Shore of Okanagan Lake

I recently spent a wonderful week in and around the Canadian Rockies where I met a lot of fine people running businesses, providing fabulous service and showing me they know how marketing is defined for them. The person who stuck out beyond all others is Steph D’Angelo. She exuded the pride, knowledge and passion of her family’s roots as wine makers and vineyard owners. My wife and I visited the D’Angelo family’s vineyard located on the shores of Okanagan Lake near Penticton, British Columbia.  It started as another tasting session on a day we’d planned for about a dozen, but only managed about six.  That’s because the people were so rich in knowledge for their products, patience and warmth.

During the visit, Steph shared with us how dedicated her family is to growing and producing their finest vintages each year.  This is not a new experience to this family.  With vineyards in both Ontario and British Columbia, the D’Angelo Family Vineyards have been turning out fine wine for nearly three decades.  They bottle estate wines, which means they tend the vines, pick the grapes and take care to make sure their customers taste the very best.  It’s an impressive accomplishment.  Steph patiently answered our questions about the wines as we tasted them.  And she never made me feel like the amateur wine taster I am.  That’s such a skill and one that is appreciated.  The Tempranillo was especially tasty despite not having a traditional herb or peppery twist I seem to find in others.  She then explained how ice wines are harvested, bottled and certified in Canada.  I, for one, am won over and I look forward to tasting my first ice wine soon.  While this seems like a great wine-tasting experience,  I’m more focused on how Steph and the D’Angelos market their wines.  She brings an energy and enthusiasm to meeting people and that’s marketing in the purest sense.   The family is focused on creating the best.  Steph is a terrific ambassador for this family’s business.

At a time when we often think that the only way to market your products is with sophisticated media tools, people like Steph show us it can be so simple.  She’s a master at one-to-one marketing; it’s the kind of direct-impact effectiveness that can be often overlooked and not easily forgotten when it’s done right.  In the malaise of technology, it’s at least an afterthought to many.  Thanks to people like Steph D’Angelo, spending quality time and sharing the pride of your labors is not lost.  I appreciate the personalized treatment and the marketing lesson she made me remember.