Wine Business Editorial

How to Create a National On-Premise Wine Brand
From prep to pitching to programs, here’s what you need to know Creating a national on-premise wine brand requires a fundamentally different mindset from creating a national off-premise wine brand. The off-premise side of the market is all about product, price and performance. In contrast, the on-premise side of the market is all about relationships, […]

2019 Is the Year of the Independent Brand
Happy New Year to all. We at BevStrat are so happy to put 2018 in the books. We feel that 2018 was the year that the convergence of sales teams, brands, distributors and importers all came together and said, “we can all do better” was the end of year rally cry. We like to think […]

The Transformation of East Coast Wine
Preface to a three-part report on the wines of the Eastern Seaboard being prepared by The International Wine Review The wines of the Atlantic Seaboard are on the rise. Noteworthy improvements in the quality of East Coast wines and their unique character are attracting growing numbers of wine enthusiasts. Today, more than ever before, consumers […]

Small Investment…BIG RETURN
The Facts It is going to be an interesting year for the wine sales in the United States. Reports are saying that wine production is increasing in the U.S. with more wineries opening every year and wine imports to the U.S. are increasing. A May 2018 report from the Wine Institute noted that wine available […]

Most Read Wine Industry Stories of 2018
What were the biggest wine industry stories of 2018 or what do we really want to read about? Below are the most read Wine Industry Advisor articles of 2018 and the the most read Afternoon Brief stories. Wine Industry Advisor Wine Industry Under Attack in Napa Package Redesign Flipped Double Digit Decline to Growth Tasting […]

Drinking Wine Outside the Box
By Kenneth Friedenreich Sometimes a good title acts as the scaffolding for ideas waiting on words and sequence to show up sooner or later. This is one such case. On two December days I downloaded blogs by Amber LeBeau, a self-proclaimed wine geek with wine creds, retail wine steward chops, and a nifty blog called […]

More Tips to Boost Email Engagement
Last week’s blog contained ideas to bolster email engagement. This week’s blog offers more ideas that can help. Before we move forward with more ideas, I want to add a little more information about personal stories and the subject line (the most important line in your email). Open Up to Customers In your subject line […]

Mystery Shoppers Visit Nicholson Ranch
Perched at the top of the hill at the intersection of Napa Road and CA-Highway 121 Nicholson Ranch Winery is uniquely positioned to offer Napa –Sonoma wine lovers access to several of California’s most distinguished AVA’s- Sonoma Valley, Sonoma Coast, Napa Valley and Los Carneros. The 160 acre Estate property was purchased by the Nicholson family in 1962, […]

Turning the Tables on Rusty Gaffney
“Turning the Tables – Interviewing the Interviewers” is a Q&A series profiling Wine Writers. We hope you’ll discover more about the wine writers you know, and learn about many others.

Domaine Carneros Wins Best Sparkling for Third Time at North Coast Wine Challenge
When the results of the 2018 North Coast Wine Challenge were announced, and the 2013 Domaine Carneros Brut, Napa, was declared the Best Sparkling, it was cause for celebration at the beautiful chateau where Eileen and her colleagues make their widely lauded wine lineup.

Top 5 Predictions for 2019
We are here again. Like clockwork, December comes and everyone in the adult beverage world looks backwards at their successes and failures, otherwise known as depletions, and then look forward in a hopeful way knowing that sales and marketing can always be better. For the last five years I have written a column of predictions […]

Creating Emails Customers Want to Read
Since the broad acceptance of email as the most efficient way to communicate, the medium has grown exponentially. According to an article written by Sharon Hurley Hall, more than 74 trillion emails are sent every year and the number continues to go up year after year. I remember as far back in the early 2000s […]

Thanksgiving – a Plethora of Emails
I received what seemed like a boatload of emails from wineries over the Thanksgiving and shopping extravaganza long weekend. Some wineries sent me up to five emails in a three or four-day period. Most were touting special pricing on their wines and/or low priced or free shipping. Offers included: 20% saving with $10 ground shipping Free […]

12 Things Not to Miss at the WIN Expo Trade Show This Thursday
Again this year the North Coast Wine Industry Expo (WIN Expo) will be the second largest wine industry trade show in North America with 300 premium wine industry suppliers at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds on Thursday Dec. 6. The broad array of exhibitors will showcase everything vineyards and wineries need and some new things you […]

Soda Rock Wins Best of Mendocino in Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge for Chardonnay From Hopland Vineyard
Isabelle Adams of Soda Rock Winery chooses her wine competitions very carefully. The 8-year-old winery produces about 6k cases yearly, and relies on direct to consumer sales for most of the production.
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