Transparency

I've been thinking about the idea of transparency recently. It is a timely topic in many regards. Wherever you fit on the political spectrum, you would probably agree that the institutions of government and big business have not demonstrated much transparency in recent years. Even the institutions themsleves have fallen victim to lack of transparency, for example, in buying and selling the so called credit default swaps- the bushel baskets of mortgage backed securities filled with bad apples.

While Calicaro is about as far away from the world of high finance as you can get, I've been thinking about our responsibilities to our customers.

And transparency seems particularly apt, as it is a word many Pinot Noir makers use to describe wine revealing its terroir, ie, the sense of place showing through in the wine.

While we are a new winery, we are starting with a clear sense of who we are, how we want to conduct our business, and how we intend to deal with our customers. Here is our very simple code of ethics:

1. We will be transparent in our winemaking techniques and the wine in all of our communications.

2. We will provide detailed information on the label and our website about the wine chemistry so educated, knowledgeable consumers can make informed choices.

3. We will promptly respond to and address all customer complaints. Where appropriate, eg "corked" wine, we will provide a replacement bottle.

4. We will make the best wine we can. Compromises are for relationships, not for winemaking.

5. We believe high quality winemaking can best be accomplished by staying small. We will stay small to maintain quality.

6. Wine is for enjoyment, pleasure and sharing. As an extension of the enjoyment of the wine itself, we will endeavor to make all of our customer relationships enjoyable.

Cheers,

Dave