Vimmerstedt ’02 working at Casa Barranca.
Ricky Vimmerstedt ’02 had no idea that only a few years after graduating with his communication degree, he would find his way to Casa Barranca Winery in Ojai, California. But now, in his fifth year at the winery, he handles client relations, sales, some marketing and is known to visitors, clients and celebrities alike as “the Wine Guy.”
RELATED: Check out Casa Barranca Winery
Q: What do you do at Casa Barranca Winery?
A: I’m the General Manager for Casa Barranca, an organic winery (which means we don’t use pesticides or chemicals). I’m also an outside sales rep, which involves making appointments at hotels and restaurants to present the wine to Sommeliers. In addition manage our local accounts. I’ve built wonderful relationships with the local restaurant owners, retail shops and grocery stores. The most fun part is working in the tasting room because I get to meet people and teach them about our wines. During harvest season, which we’re in the midst of right now, we all help with crushing and fermenting the grapes before the aging process begins.
I have a hand in every facet of the business except for bookkeeping, so this job has helped me understand so many things, like how small businesses work and how to build a brand and how to manage client relationships.
The beautiful Casa Barranca estate in Ojai, California.
Q: What is Casa Barranca like?
A: I work on an estate where there’s a 103-year-old house built by the Greene and Greene brothers. They were architects who were building homes around the same time Frank Lloyd Wright was building homes, and they built this estate in 1909. It’s a beautiful Craftsman-style home called the Pratt House, and it’s a National Historic Landmark.
In 1994 my brother-in-law acquired the house and property, and over the years he transformed it into an organic winery and world-renowned yoga retreat center. People come from all over the world for yoga retreats and I get to teach groups about our wine while they’re here. It’s a very peaceful place, which is why Ojai is such a popular yoga retreat destination.
Q: What is a typical day like in your job?
A: I’ve really learned to set things up so they’re running smoothly every day. Generally I’m making sure my local accounts are stocked with Casa Barranca wine, and I’m following up with them to ensure they’re happy, which is an aspect of maintaining long-term relationships. That part is routine, but the tasting room and retreats bring a lot of variety to my job. You never know who is going to walk through the tasting room door and how much or how little they’ll know about wine.
I sometimes will attend wine events in the area to represent our brand, and those are always a lot of fun. Sometimes I feel like this is more of a lifestyle than a job!
Q: What’s the craziest or most exciting experience you’ve had at your job?
Casa Barranca wine
A: Well, I’ve been lucky enough to make appearances on Nicole Richie’s show, Candidly Nicole, and Millionaire Matchmaker because they wanted to feature our wine and Casa Barranca’s beautiful location. It’s really cool, I never imagined I’d be a well-known “wine guy” when I was in college. But it’s a lot of fun to be included in shows like that, and a great way to boost brand awareness.
Our wines have also been featured in three movies – Friends with Benefits, Easy A, and Annie, which is coming out in December 2014. Will Gluck, who lives in Ojai and loves our wine, directed all those films. Every time he does a movie he has the prop master call me and buy a case or two of wine for the set. That’s definitely one of the perks of being in California – you meet people in the entertainment industry who have the resources to expose your brand in such cool ways.
Q: What is your favorite thing about your job?
A: My favorite thing about my job is that, looking back, it’s become a really exciting and successful career. Like I said, I never imagined that I’d be here but it turns out to be exactly what I should be doing. I love making wine interesting for people, providing them with a different kind of wine tasting experience rather than your typical “Taste this. Ok, what do you think? Now taste this” wine tasting. I’ve also really enjoyed meeting the people who participate in tastings and some of them have become my close friends.
Q: Is Ojai becoming a more popular destination for wine?
A: Ojai is an up and coming area for wineries. There are four wineries here now and more are coming. I hope it’ll become its own American Viticulture Area soon because that would be exciting for us.
Ojai is a big tourist destination and a special place. A lot of people in nearby cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco will come here to get away. It’s a really cool little town with basically no large corporate presence – there’s a Chevron gas station and a Jersey Mike’s and everything else is a small business. It’s a great place to live.
Q: How did you end up there after college?
A: I wanted to leave the east coast after graduation and a lot of my friends from college had moved to San Diego, so I decided to go there and give it a shot. I lived there for eight months before I moved to Los Angeles and my sister moved to Ojai. Helping her move there was my first experience in Ojai and I was blown away, it’s such a gorgeous town. I stayed in Los Angeles for a few more years but I always had an interest in moving to Ojai. Eventually my brother in law offered me an incredible opportunity to join Casa Barranca Winery and I truly started from scratch when I got there. I worked my way up from the bottom, persevered through challenging times like the ones we all experience in our jobs, and five years later I’m the general manager!
Q: How do you think the College helped prepare you for this career?
A: The College helped me prepare by offering structure and challenging me to overcome struggles and follow through with my commitments. Then my public speaking and business administration classes helped me build a skill set that I use every day when I’m working with clients and guests.
Q: What advice would you give to current students and those interested in a career at a winery?
A: I would say – you never really know what’s out there for you, so keep an open mind. You might think you’re going to have a career that is conducive to your college degree, but you may end up doing something entirely different. The last place I expected to be after college was in California working at a winery, but I’m here and I love it! More importantly, if you’re at a job where you don’t see a potential for growth and you’re not having fun, don’t be afraid to pursue something bigger and better.
For people who are interested in vineyards and wineries, I would suggest, of course, sampling as many wines as you can (once you’re over 21) and taking note of what you like about your favorites. That will make you a more knowledgeable wine drinker. Read books like The Wine Bible and magazines like Wine Enthusiast, Wine Spectator and Food & Wine, just try to learn as much as you can. For those who are interested in pursuing a career in viticulture or oenology, there are some great courses out there. Having a knowledge base before you start working in the wine industry will definitely help further your career.
