“It takes 10 years to learn from the vineyard, and another 10 years to learn the wine from that vineyard.” — James Molesworth Metaphors and analogies are powerful teachers and offer behavioral adhesiveness. In other words, the ideas and lessons they present stick in our memory, and can thus more easily become part of our routines. Sports metaphors are everywhere, but I believe this analogy of investors and winemakers is also extremely powerful. James Moleworth’s perspective introductory quote is based on his career over three decades in the wine industry. Similarly, my own decades as a full-time investor yield a similar axiom. Not as frighteningly long term as his ten-and-ten perspective, but nevertheless, mine is perhaps closer to five-and-five. If a winemaker can take two decades to hit a really consistent stride and produce top tier wines, investors who aspire to produce consistent out-performance and profits must also embrace a willingness…
