Patricia O'Brien | Chief Operating Officer, Callaway Vineyard & Winery
Let me be real with you: procedures will keep your doors open, but they will not keep people coming back. You can hand your team a shiny binder of SOPs and think you’ve trained them — but that’s just the entry fee. Culture? That’s what makes the difference. And honey, culture doesn’t live in a binder. It lives in the people delivering the experience.
I’ve been leading winery teams for more than a decade, through growth, change, and more curveballs than I can count. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: anyone can pour a glass of wine, but not everyone can pour it with heart. Guests don’t come back because the Merlot hit 3.6 pH. They come back because someone made them feel like they belonged at the table. That’s culture.
Look at the Ritz-Carlton. Every single employee, from housekeeping to management, has the authority to spend up to $2,000 to fix a guest’s problem — no questions asked. Why? Because they trust their people to carry the brand’s mission. That’s not a policy; that’s empowerment. That’s culture showing up in action.
And let’s be real — consistency is tough in hospitality. That’s where branded video training becomes a game-changer. Starbucks doesn’t just tell folks how to make a latte; they teach them how to make every customer feel at home. The visuals, the tone, the stories — all of it reinforces their promise: connection, one cup at a time. In the wine world, imagine onboarding with a video where your winemaker shares the story of the vines, or your chef explains why the farm-to-table menu matters. That’s not just training — that’s inviting your team into the story. And videos scale, so everyone learns the same “why,” not just the “what.”
And here’s the kicker: people buy into stories, not rules. Think about Southwest Airlines. Their mission is about connection, so their flight attendants bring humor and humanity right into the safety demo. That’s why folks remember it. At a winery, it’s the same. Don’t tell your team, “Always refill water glasses.” Tell them, “Make sure every guest feels cared for before they even have to ask.” See the difference? One’s a rule. The other’s a mission.
Because here’s the truth: SOPs train the hands. Stories train the heart. And when you train the heart, you don’t just build staff — you build a culture people can taste in every glass.
Want to learn how to build this kind of training culture at your winery? Join me and my all-star panel at the DTC Wine Symposium for our workshop: Next Level Training: Innovative Tools for Building Winery Talent.
I’ll be joined by the incredible:
- Hannah Robinson, Sr. HR Specialist & Recruiter at Distinguished Vineyards & Wine Partners
- Walter Carter, Executive Director at Danza del Sol Winery & Masia de la Vinya Winery
We’re bringing receipts, real-world tools, and some much-needed real talk on training that actually sticks.
Because SOPs train the hands. Stories train the heart. And when you train the heart? Baby, you build a legacy.