(Wines&Vines) - A background in marketing and a focus on respecting and investing in the potential of individual brands may be the biggest elements to the transformation wrought at Ste. Michelle Wine Estates under president and CEO Ted Baseler, who will leave the company at the end of September after 34 years.

Baseler, who succeeded Allen Shoup as head of Washington’s biggest vintner in 2001, was originally hired in 1984 as marketing director. Prior to becoming president and CEO, he was COO. The roles provided him with the background and insight to see that volume alone wouldn’t save wineries in an increasingly competitive marketplace. What was needed was the kind of value that comes from both quality and a compelling story.