Last week was a good week. Alois Lageder of the Alto Adige was in town, and I got to chat with him about his new label series, which is a further testament to his passion for the arts. Not only did I get to have a little face time with the man who owns one of my favorite wineries, I got to hang out with my favorite importer, Joe Dressner. (more on this later, in the mean time, visit Joe’s hilarious blog.)

These men represent two of the smartest things for your wine education:

1. Rent a car and explore the wine from the stately hills of Verona up to the craggy peaks of the Alto Adige, one of the most beautiful places on earth.

2. Beg, borrow, and steal your way into a Louis/Dressner Selections tasting. I judge wine “professionals” partially on their attitudes toward Joe’s palate.

These men also represent an idea, a certain level of uncompromising integrity that coexists with the capitalistic side of their businesses. Anyway, my point: I’ve had a rash of people contacting me lately, to “pick my brain,” which is business-speak for “pillage your knowledge without compensation.” But one recent request asked if I’d offer a little advice to winemaking students in Walla Walla, on how to conduct themselves re: PR and marketing. I found my gripes boiled down to one thing: you’re in the service industry now, duh. You wanna better sell a product? Wait tables one night a week for a while, grasshopper. I’m not kidding.

But here was my actual two cents:

My main plea to new winemakers is to remember that you will be dealing with many people who know less about wine than you, but more importantly many who know more about wine than you. And THAT’S O.K. Don’t get sucked into a pissing contest with a potential buyer or talk down to anyone. Be professional.

Respect a buyer’s or writer’s time; you are one in a sea of hundreds of local wineries, not to mention the world outside of Washington (yes, there is one). Do not forget that. Make writing about or buying from you easy (meaning tech sheets and tear sheets). And for god’s sake, conduct as much business as you can by email and in person (scheduled visits). Phone calls just interrupt and annoy us.

You are in the service industry now. Press is not your right, nor is a sale. So act like a service professional: use proper planning, a sense of empathy and urgency, and LISTEN.

The most common turn off for me is a local winemaker who is ignorant of the rest of the world. Make local, drink afar. Your wine will benefit, as will your ability to relate to customers and press. I have no respect for someone who has no respect for wine, and to respect wine you must drink widely. You don’t think Mario Batali just eats Italian food all the time, do you? Exactly.