Whom should I rely on for wine export? Wine export managers and their essential job

Wine export managers – what is it all about?
Why should you rely on a wine export manager?
A wine export manager or a team of professionals?

If you are an Italian wine producer you definitely know how exporting has become pivotal to make your business thrive. Be it traditional markets or emerging ones, Italian products are still internationally appealing and there is indeed no lack of opportunities.

But: approaching the wine export market for the first time can be intimidating. Where do I begin? What are the technical aspects I should take care of? And last but not least: Should I take care of it all on my own or should I rely on somebody?

Your excellent product with absolutely interesting prices alone may not be enough. In a fairly structured market, where the already high number of players is constantly increasing, standing out from the very first steps is really essential. It’s an ambitious goal that might be easier to reach with the help of a wine export manager.

Wine export managers – what is it all about?

The wine industry has been discussing of such figures increasingly: professionals who take care of wine exports and help wineries tackle foreign markets.

But who is a wine export manager and what do they do?

Let’s start from the unique background of this key figure. Wine export managers are deep connoisseurs of the wine world and foreign market specialists, with commercial, linguistic and cultural skills with respect to the target market. They are someone who has a remarkable know-how that is gained throughout the years by means of their field experience, which is absolutely paramount.

They can work for the company or be self-employed. Sometimes a network of collaborations can be established, as it is the case for Vianello Wines – an agency made of export specialists.

How do wine export managers work? After the best target market has been chosen, wine export managers study the best communication strategy which will necessarily have to be specific and custom-made for every winery. It’s a complex path not to be taken for granted which helps the distinctive elements of your portfolio to pop out.

Moreover, wine export managers can boast a loyal customer base for each market where they operate. Importers who are interested in buying Italian wines will be presented with your products and your business even in organized wine tasting events.

Why should you rely on a wine export manager?

Part of the answer to this already lies in our presentation of this figure. Their passion for the wine industry, the experience they bring with them and their skills could already be enough to start and work with a wine export manager, but there’s more to it.

Unlike wine producers, for whom wine export is just one of the dozens of things they must take care of, a wine export manager can focus only on wine export and the development of new relevant strategies. They monitor market performances everyday, build relationships with new potential prospects and take care of historical customers with a hands-on approach on different situations.

Once they have defined a strategy they can also evaluate its effectiveness and, if necessary, make changes. By reflecting every end of the year on their activity, they can understand which strategies have been successful and which need a major restyling.

They are skilled and experienced professionals who can quickly guide your winery towards internationalization with interesting results.

A wine export manager or a team of professionals?

Does it necessarily have to be independently-working professionals? At Vianello Wines our export manager is backed up by coworkers who take care of back office, administrative tasks and marketing.

A team of professionals who work hard to identify your excellences and make them stand out in foreign markets by choosing what to tell about your business and to whom. If you choose a partnership with us, you can straightaway get in touch with at least 150 importers, wine shops and bars with whom we’ve been working for a long time and that consider us a benchmark for their choice of Italian wines. We are with you step by step during the whole process and always monitor the fundamental KPIs to assess the strategy effectiveness and provide for changes where necessary.

We believe in listening and in active engagement, which also gives us the possibility to understand the most specific needs to help you get the best results even in foreign markets.

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