Wine Train does a One-Eighty

By ML Hilton, Director of Marketing and Public Relations (January 13, 2010) Something historic happened today for the Napa Valley Wine Train. It was accomplished quietly with no fanfare, and it only took a couple of hours to complete.

But, it marked a change from 20-years of business-as-usual. 20 years of doing things, quite literally, one way. We turned the train on its head. We made a U-turn in our direction. We flipped a, well you know, rhymes with witch.

So now, what once was north is south; what once was east is west. From the outside, you might not notice much difference; but to us, this is major stuff. It’s like changing the flow of a river. Our line chefs will be building those plates north west now, instead of south east. Who knows what havoc will happen! Is there feng shui we have to be aware of or just fun sway? Hitchcock even did a movie evoking fear over the direction (if you are too young, it was: North by Northwest).

We do know one thing this new corporate direction will bring us. It will continue to bring us through the storied vineyards of Napa Valley, as they complete their cycle of life year in and year out. And, ultimately whether we are looking left or looking right only matters if we are not looking ahead.

Here’s wishing all your new directions in 2010 be good ones.