Budgets are finalized. Revenue targets are set. Investments are prioritized. Teams are asked to do more with less. But before the spreadsheets are locked, there is another question worth asking: Do you have the right people to deliver the plan?

A tighter market raises the value of the right hire

The wine industry continues to operate in a challenging environment. Costs are being scrutinized, consumption patterns are shifting and organizations are looking carefully at where they invest. Yet hiring has not stopped.

As of mid-September, WineBusiness.com/WineJobs.com showed more than 100 open positions in Napa alone, with active demand across sales, marketing, hospitality, finance, operations, DTC and leadership roles. Across California, dozens of sales and marketing positions remain open. That tells us something: Companies may be cautious about adding headcount, but they are still willing to invest in people who can make an impact. And in this market, impact matters more than ever.

Don’t budget for a position. Budget for the capability you need.

The better question heading into 2027 isn’t simply: “Who do we need to hire?” It’s: What does our business need to be better at next year?

• Maybe you need stronger commercial leadership
• Maybe DTC needs a different kind of operator
• Maybe one senior leader is carrying responsibilities that should belong to two
• Maybe your sales organization needs new relationships
• Maybe the business has changed, but the organizational structure hasn’t changed with it

Those are not résumé questions. They’re business questions. And they should be answered before any job description is written.

The cost of waiting is easy to underestimate

WineBusiness.com reported last year that hiring timelines in the industry were stretching, with some searches moving from roughly 90 days toward 120 days as employers became increasingly deliberate about their decisions. That matters when you’re planning for January. A critical leadership opening discovered in January may not be filled until spring. A search that starts now creates more options. It gives you time to assess the market, understand compensation, identify passive candidates and make a thoughtful decision rather than an urgent one. The best time to build your 2027 team is before 2027 begins.

This is where Intertwine is different. At Intertwine, we don’t begin with a database of available résumés.

• We begin with your business, and we ask…
• Where are you going?
• What’s standing in the way?
• What capabilities are missing?
• What kind of leader will succeed within your culture?

Then we go find that person. Our roots in Napa Valley run deep, and our recruiting experience spans more than 25 years. Today, we work with wine, spirits and hospitality companies to identify executives and professionals across leadership, sales, marketing, DTC, finance, operations and hospitality.

Recent placements have come not only from existing candidates returning to Intertwine, but from wineries referring us to other wineries. That kind of growth isn’t built on filling positions. It’s built on getting the fit right.

Before the year closes, ask yourself three questions:

• Where does our 2027 strategy depend on talent we don’t currently have?
• Which person or department is being asked to carry too much?
• If a key position opened tomorrow, do we already know what, and who, we would need?

If any of those answers gives you pause, now is the time to have the conversation. You don’t need an open position to talk to us. We welcome frank conversations about what you are struggling with. In fact, we’d rather talk before you have one. Let’s build the team your business deserves behind your plan for next year.