Hello I am Kayo Kono, Buyer of Real Wine.
My passion is to introduce wine lovers to undiscovered treasures. I feel invigorated when communicating about wine. So far for nearly two decades, I have done it for the wine importer in Japan, wineries in Europe and through my personal projects; writing books, giving classes, producing events, performing on radio. Since 2020 I enjoy myself as a brand manager at DISTILLERIE DE PARIS, the haute couture distiller in France, and BODEGASXIMÉNEZ-SPÍNOLA, royal warrant of Spain. I want to keep telling stories of fascinating bottles of wine.
If you let me, I’d love to exhilarate your palate with wine and make you a little bit happier. I am involved. I have a love for everything I do.
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What is a wine buyer?
If you are an inquisitive wine drinker, you might want to know what village the wine came from, what soil types the vine grew on and how long the wine was aged. But few think about how the bottle got to your hand from producer’s winery in a faraway land.
In its most glamorous form, the profession of wine buyer appears to be an enviable one: travel to exotic foreign climes, copious amounts of ‘research’ involving fine wine and food, and the power to decide what wines should be offered to an unsuspecting population.
The reality is somewhat more prosaic – and, invariably, it’s challenging work. Kayo Kono, a professional buyer with over twenty years of experience for the wine importer in Japan, has a lengthy list of responsibilities that extends well beyond sourcing, pricing and tracking wine purchases; she also plans, coordinates and communicates wine promotions, handles in-house wine education, masterclass for clients and cultivates relationships with suppliers, industry partners and consumers.
As the breadth of those responsibilities suggests, being a wine buyer demands a range of skills, from the ability to negotiate to a sound technical knowledge of wine. A ‘strong and deep’ understanding of market drivers, trends and influences, as well as excellent organizational skills, leadership qualities, confidence and having an engaging and persuasive personality are personal attributes highly required.
