Women in Wine: Belinda Jackson

We meet on a chilly July morning in Blenheim, ahead of a weekend schedule in which Belinda is required at the Marlborough Book Festival as part of her role as Marketing Manager for Lawson's Dry Hills. She also has a gig to attend at the same event with her Vinyl in the Vines hat on, plus a duty at the Home & Garden show in her role as the newly elected President of Marlborough Riding for the Disabled (RDA).

There's never a lot of spare time, but Belinda has recently completed a marketing degree from Massey University, walks and mountain bikes in the Wither Hills regularly to keep fit, enjoy a bit of boxing, plus fits in gardening and reading when she can. Oh, and yes, she has also found time to raise twin sons who recently turned 21 and are now at universities in Wellington.

Belinda's career story began at the age of 18 with a prompt from her father: "So what are you going to do with your life?" Casting around for inspiration, she replied: "Well, wine's quite interesting." Possibly wishing to steer things a little, her father bought her a set of luggage for her 19th birthday, gave her £100 and a one-way ticket from home in the United Kingdom to Bordeaux.

And so began a 35-year career in an industry in which "you never stop learning". Belinda has held many roles in the United Kingdom and New Zealand: wine buyer, writer, educator, and marketing and sales - including the brand management of some ultra-premium brands.

With the arrival of her boys, Belinda became an independent wine consultant to better manage her time. This led to launching two major New Zealand wine events - the Spiegelau International Wine Competition, and the Marlborough Wine Show - both of which she directed. Those years also marked the beginning of an ongoing commitment to the local and national bodies of RDA.

Belinda observes that over the course of her career the marketing of wine has changed considerably. In the early years it was about introducing people to better quality wines, as well as reducing consumers' inhibitions and insecurities about their lack of wine knowledge, such as not knowing how to pronounce varietals at the bottle store.

Those were the days in the United Kingdom when there was a house white or a house red on offer, if you were lucky. Belinda was working for Carlsberg Tetley as their wine buyer and enjoyed talking to people about wine and breaking down inhibitions about what was just a drink, albeit a delicious one. Work was put into sourcing a choice of house wines to improve the experience for the consumer, as well as educating bar staff on how to sell and serve them, and generally reducing the intimidation factor associated with buying wine.

Belinda Jackson

Fast forward several decades and there is no shortage of quality wines to choose from. Belinda was appointed as Group Marketing Manager for Lawson's Dry Hills in 2014, choosing to join a company with a strong community ethos. Consumers are much more comfortable with wine buying and there is more focus on competition for the dollar. Key concerns for Belinda now are authenticity and integrity of the story behind the production of wines. It's no longer enough to be a boutique family winery; the brand story must have clarity, consistency and relevance to consumers' current concerns.

Belinda notes that wine has become no different from other consumer items in respect of the integrity of brands that are sought - consumers are now demanding ethically and environmentally-sound products. "You need your integrity to shine through, and that is more and more of my focus nowadays - telling that story well, in addition to being able to show it," she says. "We place huge significance on environmental sustainability, and consumers are very alert to greenwashing, hence the promotion of our independent certifications." Converting those sustainable ideals into spend at the till is the challenge.

Belinda acknowledges the work of Appellation Marlborough Wine as well as New Zealand Trade & Enterprise in examining the value of the wider Marlborough and New Zealand brand picture and how to protect and grow that, as well as what individual producers do. And while she sees that the wine industry will benefit from reduced taxes when the new European Union trade deal is ratified, it still be up to individual brands to stand on their own merits.

When asked how she sees her future, Belinda responds that she is very passionate about many not-for-profit enterprises and, when time permits, she can see herself using her love of 'telling the story' to help their brands. On her work with RDA, Belinda says she has always been deeply moved by the results the organisation achieves and emphasises the personal rewards this brings. "While it is brilliant for giving, you get back just as much. It's so tangible, and the work keeps me grounded," she says. "Horses are incredibly rewarding animals to work with, and tailored programmes for kids with any kind of disability or special needs can and do make an enormous difference to their quality of life. This has a very positive knock-on effect for families and communities."

Vinyl in the Vines is one of Belinda's pet projects, providing an opportunity for fun and community engagement. Initially devised as a marketing tool for Lawson's Dry Hills - which sports a brilliant outdoor entertaining space - it has now expanded into regular gigs by a team of three local musicians with Belinda 'corralling' them into playing at various local venues and events.

When asked what she is currently looking forward to, Belinda replies that her compression socks have been talking - "in fact yelling" - at her to take them out. So, she is off to the United Kingdom shortly for a combination of holiday and visiting family, with a week of work thrown in. She is excited about getting back out there telling the brand stories, which is what she most loves to do. Bon voyage Belinda.