Ep. 51: Three Decades of Wine Wisdom with Lisa Warner of Leto Cellars

Kris Levy is speaking with Leto Cellars’ co-founder and operator Lisa Warner about her wine marketing and sales career. Warner has over three decades of experience in the wine industry, working for self-producers as well as Leto Cellars, which she and her husband Brad founded in 2008. While not every aspect of their business is perfect, Warner and her team are still working toward creating a unique wine experience that will attract their ideal customers.

[00:34 - 08:35] Opening Segment

• Lisa Warner is a co-founder of Leto Cellars and has been in the wine industry for over 30 years.
• She started out as an administrative assistant at Robert Mondavi Winery and then switched to marketing and sales.
• In 2008, she and her husband Brad launched Leto Cellars, a self-produced wine brand.
• In 2012, they rebranded the company.

[08:37 - 17:15] Lisa Shares Tips for Selling Wine

• Lisa took a wine entrepreneurship program at Sonoma State.
• Lisa learned to create customers, she needed to first be their friend.
• Lisa started working in a cellar for a few years to learn more about wine production and how to sell it.

[17:15 - 35:16] Lisa Discusses Sourcing

• The winery's core values are that they don't grow grapes, but they want to buy grapes from small, independent growers and support other families in the valley that mirror their values.
• They source grapes from Sonoma County, Mendocino County, and Lodi, California.
• They are open to sourcing wine from outside of Napa because of where they are located in the industrial park.

[35:16 - 37:31] Closing Segment

• Tasting Round with Lisa

Connect with Lisa:

Instagram: @letocellars

Website: letocellars.com

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Tweetable Quotes:

" I think a lot of people take for granted ... how long it takes to make a bottle of wine" - Kris Levy

" You can make wine all day, but then you have to figure out how you're gonna sell it." - Lisa Warner

"The dream is still alive. It's just going to be more focused going forward." - Lisa Warner