It’s been said that winemakers hold fast to tradition when it comes to their tried-and-true oenological practices, especially when it comes to yeast, but that may be about to change. Introducing E2U™ – a certified range of yeast that can be pitched directly into the must without prior rehydration.

In this Webinar, Fermentis will explain everything there is to know about their E2U™ (Easy to Use) certification on Active Dry Yeast: what are the advantages and benefits, what is behind the certification in terms of production knowledge and validation process, how to use them at your winery, best practices to direct pitch E2U™ yeasts and answers to the most common questions on the topic. We will display trials and answer all the questions that you might have!

Join us and register for this free webinar today.

Presented by:

Anne Flesch
Fermentis Regional Sales Manager
Western North America

Increasing wildfires and annual fire events are impacting the wine industry in a number of ways. Persistent exposure to smoke can compromise the quality and value of winegrapes, affecting wines made from smoke-exposed grapes, thus – driving the need for a better understanding of smoke taint chemistry and treatment.

In this webinar, we will be presenting innovations in smoke-taint removal, what steps you can take and equipment to use to recover your wines, and how sustainable these methods really are.

Register for this complimentary webinar and join to learn more about Smoke Taint Technology and join us on Thursday, June 30th at 11:00 am (PT)

Register Now

Webinar Presenter:

Lorenzo Forbice, Innovation Project Manager / Della Toffola USA   

Marketing is an ongoing communication with your customers, not a one shot broadcast on a single channel. Then why do many wineries have silos around ecommerce, email or social, or outsource only one area? If you aren’t coordinating your website landing pages, social media, emails, texts, direct mail or other channels, you’re dampening the impact of your campaigns.

In this webinar we will review case studies demonstrating the power of integrating your messaging as well as provide tips on how and when to apply this principle.

Register for this complimentary webinar and join to learn more about Integrated Marketing and join us on Thursday, March 16th at 11:00 am (PT).

Register Now

Webinar Presenter:

Susan DeMatei, President & Owner / WineGlass Marketing   

Jennie Gilbert, Founder / RedChrip   

Join Karen MacNeil, Kimberly Noelle Charles and Gino Colangelo, co-founders of the Come Over October campaign, for a focused webinar on how wineries, wine companies, and wine regions can use this fall’s campaign to promote and sell their wines. Begun in 2024, Come Over October is a hugely successful grassroots consumer campaign in support of wine as the beverage that brings people together. To date Come Over October, and its sister campaign Share & Pair Sundays, have garnered nearly 2 billion media impressions and more than 1400 retail stores will run Come Over October promotions this fall. The webinar will include special guests, plus an excerpt from the campaign’s interview with winemaker Alecia Moore (stage name P!nk).

Speakers:

Marketers today know that they need successful marketing tactics to attract and close customers - but identifying, developing and planning a marketing strategy can be daunting.

Ask yourself the following questions to help identify if you need to reevaluate your current marketing plan - or if you're on the right track.

• Are you using the right marketing channels to reach your preferred customers?
  
  
• Does email play a role in your marketing?
  
  
• Are you engaging in social media?
  
  
• How are you measuring your marketing efforts?
  
  
• What ratio of marketing or sales engagements result in a closed sale?
  
  
• How do your marketing strategies compare with your competitors?
  
  
• What tactics are they using?
  
  
• Are there marketing tools or practices you like to learn more about?

If you’re like many businesses, the reality is that you may not know the answer to some of these questions. Or, you may know you’re not getting your money’s worth, but you’re not sure why or what you should change.

Wine Industry Network can help identify your strengths and help pinpoint areas that can be improved with better marketing solutions and can assist you with marketing tools & services to reach your ideal client. 

Our new expanded office is located just off the Plaza in downtown Healdsburg, in the Foss Creek Circle commercial center. The new space allows us to accommodate the growth we're experiencing in all areas of the WIN network.

We are currently expanding our membership team and are looking for a talented Membership Manager to start immediately. General responsibilities include maintaining member/client relationships, membership support and retention, sales support and online profile management.

Click here to read the full Job Description

We welcome any or all of our supplier members to stop by and see our new location!

Play the Video to check out our new digs!

The Wine Industry Network is a sponsor of the Craft Beverage Expo in San Jose May 6-8, 2014. As such, we'd like to invite all new and current Link and Afternoon Brief subscribers to take advantage of our promo code which will safe you $150 off the pre-registration cost of a Craft Brew Expo pass or give you free access to the trade show floor ($35 value).

Use the Promo Code WIN14 - only valid with advanced registration.

We hope to see you at #CBE14 in San Jose!

Our hearts go out to the many families and businesses that are experiencing the results of Sunday's earthquake. Wine Industry Network suppliers, many who dealing with the aftermath themselves, stand ready to help friends and colleagues in Napa. WIN is dedicated to connecting the industry with the resources and solutions needed and whether it's replacing your winemaking equipment, assessing your structural needs or recouping on losses, we can help you find those who can get you and your winery back on track and ready for harvest. If you don't find what you need below, please contact us directly for recommendations. 

The Wine Industry Network (WIN) today announced that nominations for this year’s Innovation Awards are now open. The program is part of the North Bay Business Journal’s (NBBJ) 2^nd Annual Wine Industry Awards that will be presented at a special wine industry reception in December.

Wine Industry Network developed the “WINnovation” Awards as a way to recognize the most innovative industry suppliers and service professionals and celebrate their spirit of creativity and leadership. The awards honor companies that have developed ground-breaking products, practices, and those that have contributed to the advancement of the North American wine industry. The awards event will kick-off a week-long industry celebration that culminates with the 3^rd Annual North Coast Wine Industry Expo, held at the Santa Rosa Fairgrounds on Dec 4^th, 2014.

“Here at WIN, we have the privilege of seeing the newest products and services on a regular basis and I’m continually impressed by the level creativity and passion these companies have,” said George Christie, Wine Industry Network President “In many cases, it’s the industry suppliers that have been the change agents helping winery and vineyard operations impact quality or improve efficiencies. These awards are a way for us to acknowledge the dedicated efforts of these companies.”

Winners of this year’s “WINnovation” Awards will be featured in a special Business Journal report and the awards will be presented at the NBBJ Wine Industry Awards reception in December. To submit a nomination, go to http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/98744/2014-wine-industry-awards-nominations/. Nominations are open until October 17^th.

There are three newcomers on this year’s list of top ten searches from the Wine Industry Network’s annual search report. The report provides a view into what products and services wineries most often go online to search for.

New on this year’s top ten list are Barrel Alternatives in sixth place, eCommerce in 8th, andCorks in ninth. While search for Barrels remains strong holding its second overall position from last year, the emergence of Barrel Alternatives on the list suggests that more wineries are beginning to look for new ways to impart oak flavors in their wines without paying a premium for new oak barrels.

eCommerce should come as no surprise on the list. With the continued growth of direct to consumer wine sales, wineries need to either add or upgrade their online selling portal to satisfy the increased demand for mobile friendly design.

Top 10 Wine Industry Network Searches in 2014

1. Bottles
2. Barrels
3. Winery Equipment
4. Labels
5. Packaging
6. Barrel Alternatives
7. Tanks
8. eCommerce
9. Corks
10. Filtration

In 2014 the Wine Industry Network also saw a 19% increase in search volume over 2013.

“Word of mouth, trade shows, and references from your neighbor will always be an important part of any buying decision in the wine industry,” says George Christie, president of Wine Industry Network, “but now, people expect to be able to find information about the products and services they need online. Today’s wine business professional knows that it’s not enough to just do what your neighbor does or even do what you’ve always done. If you want to succeed, you have to know what options are available so you can make better buying decisions, and for that, the internet is the world’s tool of choice.”

“Online research won’t completely erode the old way of finding what you need, but it does open the door for new suppliers with innovative products to present themselves at a price they can afford. For established suppliers, having an online presence is a no brainer, they have to be there and they usually are.”

The Wine Industry Network expects to see the increased search volume trend redouble in 2015, and is enhancing their wine industry search options in response to the demand.

“We’re now offering the network suppliers the opportunity to list the products and services they supply to the wine industry on the site, and wine business professions can come search the growing inventory,” says Christie, “it means more information, more options, and more innovation, it’s a win-win for buyers and suppliers, and the industry as a whole.”

Feb. 20, 2015, Healdsburg, CA - “The Consumer Wine Awards is a unique blend of consumer-centric wine competition and research project,” says George Christie, President of Wine Industry Network (WIN). “It challenges the traditional approach of wine judging and opens untapped marketing opportunities for wine producers.”

Entering its 7th year, the Consumer Wine Awards (CWA) is moving to Sacramento, CA, and the evaluation will take place on April 11th. Christie will join the CWA advisory board along with famed wine expert Darrell Corti, Sacramento Convention & Visitor’s Bureau and Visit Sacramento CEO, Michael Testa, chef Michael Tuohy, and social media expert, Christine Hinckly Trice.

“The mission of the Consumer Wine Awards is to offer a peer-to-peer recommendation alternative to the ‘expert opinions’ that are so often out of sync with wine lover preferences,” says Tim Hanni MW, co-founding partner of CWA. “When judged by everyday wine lovers, wines from every state - representing every imaginable flavor and style - win awards. These are the wines that trained experts and critics ignore or dismiss, but our program offers a great means to rise above the ‘tyranny of the minority’ that focuses on a tiny number of wine regions and styles.”

Approximately 200 consumers will be “Wine Judges for a Day” evaluating 800-1,000 wines. The diversity of wines, representing every imaginable style and flavor category, are submitted from all over the US and abroad. The panels of Consumer Evaluators are grouped based on their wine preferences so that each panel judges the type of wine they enjoy and purchase. This year, the addition of seminars during the event day will provide an additional draw those who wish to participate. 

As part of a new partnership with the Sacramento Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, 4,000 wine loving consumers are expected to attend the Awards Ceremony, being held on June 6th during the Grape Escape and CWA Awards.  Nearly 100 wineries will be pouring and showcasing CWA award winning wines. 

“Innovation in the wine industry continues to help reach new consumers,” says Christie. “We will work with the CWA team on their consumer research projects to communicate the valuable data they collect and explain what it means to the wine industry.” 

The Consumer Wine Awards are now open for wine submissions and consumer “Wine Judge for a Day” applications. Visit www.consumerwineawards.com for more details, contact Tim Hanni MW, tim@timhanni.com or (707)337-0327.

About the Wine Industry Network (WIN)

Based in Healdsburg, California, WineIndustryNetwork.com is the wine industry’s most comprehensive business resource websites operating as an on-line trade show and created specifically to help industry professionals locate and connect more easily with the industry’s best suppliers and service professionals. WIN also produces The North Coast Wine Industry Expo www.wineindustryexpo.com, based in Santa Rosa, California, and the online industry publication, the Wine Industry Advisor (wineindustryadvisor.com).

About the Consumer Wine Awards (CWA)

The mission of the Consumer Wine Awards is celebrating the diversity of both the wines of the world and the diversity of the people who love wine. The CWA premise is that there is often an inverse relationship between the wines favored by trained wine experts and wine judges in traditional competitions and the wines that are cherished and sought after by every-day wine lovers. The CWA format was created by Master of Wine and sensory specialist Tim Hanni MW, G.M “Pooch” Pucilowski, who ran the California State Wine competition for 25 years, and Aaron Kidder, proprietor of Kidder Family Winery and also a software and IT specialist. Chris Cutler, a technology, wine marketing and social media specialist, joined the team in 2014. The Consumer Wine Awards also provides a foundation for conducting formal wine consumer research projects that are at the core of both their methods for assessing the wine as well as creating innovative ways to segment the wine market and promote wine enjoyment on a personal level.

North Coast Event on Track for Another Year of Success

Healdsburg, Calif., May 28, – The Wine Industry Network (WIN) today announced that exhibitor booths for the 2015 WIN Expo have sold out in record time for the fourth straight year. A waiting list of hopeful exhibiting companies has been established and will be maintained until the event in December. Exhibitor participation in the North Coast show has continually grown along with attendance numbers since the shows inception in 2012 establishing it as the 2^nd largest wine industry trade show in North America.

This year’s event will once again be held at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds on Thursday, December 3^rdfrom 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Attendees can look forward to educational sessions featuring experts sharing their knowledge about industry trends and latest discoveries. An official announcement of topics and speakers is scheduled for August along with attendee trade show and conference registration opening that same month.  Conference packages will be available online at www.wineindustryexpo.com, discounts will be offered to early registrants and for purchasing multiple conference sessions.

“The North Coast wine industry has really embraced the WIN Expo and that is what’s driven the success of the event,” said George Christie, President of Wine Industry Network. “We’re grateful for the support and will continue with our efforts to improve the trade show experience and educational content each year.”

Healdsburg, CA, January 10^th, 2018 – The Wine Industry Network (WIN) opened registration today for the Wine & Weed Symposium, Central Coast, to be held on May 10^th from 9 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in San Luis Obispo, CA. This one-day business conference is structured for the wine industry professional who is interested in examining the impact that the legalization of recreational cannabis use in California might have on the wine industry.

Wine & Weed, Central Coast will feature experts from both industries to provide an overview of the cannabis industry as well cover topics ranging from what is legal to regulations surrounding licensing, hospitality, growing and other topics of interest specific to Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara counties.. For a full list of topics and descriptions go to Wine & Weed Symposium – Central Coast.

Attendees will have the opportunity to attend educational sessions throughout the day and visit the exhibiting wine and cannabis companies who will be displaying their products and services. The Embassy Suites by Hilton chef will prepare a beautiful lunch buffet that will be served in the Atrium and the event will close with an end-of-day networking social featuring local wines.

“We’re all still trying to understand how the legalization of cannabis is going to unfold and how that might impact neighboring industries,” said George Christie, President of Wine Industry Network. “We started this conversation to try to dispel some of the rumors and open a dialog between these two industries and I’m of the mindset that it’s always better to understand potential competition and identify possible opportunities”

Registration for the event is now open and seating is limited. The first one hundred people to register will receive a special “early-bird” discount. Table top exhibits and sponsorships are also limited. For more information about the topics and speakers, becoming a sponsor or exhibitor, and to register for the event, please visit Wine & Weed Symposium-Central Coast or email info@wine-weed.com.

Wine Industry Network Sponsors Awards to Honor Innovative Suppliers

Sept. 12, 2016, Healdsburg, CA – Nominations for the 4^th Annual WINnovation Awards presented by the Wine Industry Network opened today. The program is part of the North Bay Business Journal’s (NBBJ) 4^th

Annual Wine Industry Awards that will be presented at a special wine industry reception at the end of November.

The Wine Industry Network created the “WINnovation” Awards as a way to identify and honor the most innovative industry suppliers and service professionals. These awards recognize companies that have developed ground-breaking products, practices, and have contributed to the advancement of the North American wine industry. The awards event will kick-off a week-long industry celebration that culminates with the 5th Annual WIN Expo: North Coast Wine Industry Trade Show & Conference held at the Santa Rosa Fairgrounds on Dec 1st, 2016.

“With WIN, we have the opportunity to work with so many innovative suppliers,” said George Christie, Wine Industry Network President. “The “WINnovation Awards are a way for us highlight and celebrate their creativity and to recognize that their efforts continue to propel the entire industry forward.”

Winners of this year’s “WINnovation” Awards will be featured in a special Business Journal report and the awards will be presented at the NBBJ Wine Industry Awards reception on November 29, 2016. To submit a nomination, go to https://pressdemocrat.wufoo.com/forms/x11e8hpo1nl9ta8/ Nominations are open until October 7, 2016.

Past WINnovation Award winners

NBBJ Wine Industry Awards nomination

Whether in solving a problem or seeing an opportunity, these five wine industry suppliers used their ingenuity and knowhow to develop innovative products and solutions for vineyards and wineries.

In some cases these industry suppliers listened to and worked with wineries to develop solutions for the problems faced, in others they have looked to the future and saw opportunities for the industry to prosper and created a new product to reach that vision, but all represent the vanguard of product and service innovation that is essential for the advancement and prosperity of the wine industry.

Wine Industry Network’s fourth annual WINnovation Award winners for excellence in wine industry innovation are:

• Cork Supply
• eProvenance
• Falcon Crop Protection
• Free Flow Wines
• O-I Packaging Solutions and Amorim Cork

Below are short introductions to the specific innovations from the winners that merritted their recognition.

DS100+ by Cork Supply

Cork remains the preferred closure of consumers and premium wines, and it is important for wine brands to be able to deliver the high quality experience their customers. Although on the decline, cork taint (TCA) continues to compromise a small percentage of natural cork closures, which is why Cork Supply’s DS100+ 100% TCA-free guarantee is an important advancement.

The DS100+ equipment unveiled earlier this year detects TCA down to 1 part per trillion, far below the human sensory threshold, and the machine automated process makes it faster and more reliable than human sensory detection methods. Cork Supply expects to be processing 60 million corks through the DS100+ system in 2017.

Shipment Monitoring System by eProvenance

With direct to consumer wine sales on the rise, much of today’s premium wine is shipped across the nation and world, but the winery has little control over how the wine is treated after it leaves the winery, and temperature spikes during shipment can cook the wine, changing its taste and aroma, without damaging the packaging, leaving the consumer with a negative product experience without the winery knowing why.

eProvenance conducted extensive research exposing wines at different temperatures and having professional tasters detect the difference in the taste and aroma of the wine. Tasters noticed that wine had been cooked after the wine had been subjected to as little as 30°C heat (86°F) for a total of just over two days.

The eProvenance monitoring system uses this research in combination with high-tech sensors and a secure, online data platform to monitor and analyze the temperature, humidity and geolocation of shipments at the case, pallet or container level during transport and storage. Their online analytics engine uses proprietary, scientifically based algorithms to determine whether wine is still fresh, or whether the aroma, taste and aging ability may have been compromised.

All this independent third party data is available to the wineries, so they can know if their wine shipment was damaged and work with their shipping company to rectify any problems, file insurance claims, and make sure their customers receive the wine in the condition it was intended.

Falcon Kite by Falcon Crop Protection

Loss of grapes due to bird damage can be a nuisance as well as costly to vineyards, and effective protection like vine netting also come with a high price tag, but the ingenious Falcon Kite from Falcon Crop Protection is both effective, test results show 95%-100% repulsion of pest birds, and cost-effective. One Falcon Kite can protect more than an acre of vineyards and last several seasons.

The Falcon Kite is designed to look and move like a Peregrine Falcon; suspended between poles the kite needs very little wind (2 miles per hour) to self-launch and move randomly like a predator, which makes the kite indistinguishable from the a real falcon to other birds and continues to scare them away.

Sparkling Wine Kegs by Free Flow Wines

Free Flow Wines has been the standard bearer for wine on tap and the promise not only to deliver a quality by the glass wine experience, but also make it more sustainable with reduced packaging and carbon footprint. With the rising popularity of sparkling wines and the category’s particular challenges for delivering an optimal by the glass experience, Free Flow Wines’ work to create a sparkling keg program for wineries deserve recognition.

Free Flow Wines uses a state of the art in-line carbonation system rather than the more traditional charmat method and has also developed a set of draft dispense protocols for restaurant operators to ensure a perfect pour every time, with no foam and plenty of sparkle. Their 100% reusable stainless steel kegs not only preserve wine quality and carbonation levels, but also help to reduce the environmental footprint of wines served by the glass.

Helix by O-I Packaging Solutions and Amorim Cork

Most consumers prefer cork, but they also love the convenience of screw top closures; with Helix they can have both. Like many great ideas, it sounds simple, but it took two leading wine packaging companies years of research and development to perfect a closure that could combine the quality seal and pop of cork with the twist off convenience of screw tops.

The grooved Amorim cork and matching O-I threaded bottleneck come together to create the innovative Helix packaging, and American wine consumers can now experience the Helix for the first time with Bronco Wine Company’s Red Truck brand.

Wine Industry Award Winners and Reception

See the Individual and Supplier Wine Industry Award winners announced by the North Bay Business Journal, and join us in honoring them all at the awards reception November 29, 2016 at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel & Spa in Santa Rosa.