I’m pleased to introduce VINTAGE², a new education system created specifically for wineries that want to better understand how AI is reshaping marketing, communications, and brand visibility. VINTAGE² is not a tool or a software platform. It’s a practical, 101-level learning framework designed to help wineries evaluate how consumers now discover wine and wine experiences, what’s working in their current digital presence, and where AI can play a useful role without overwhelming teams or replacing what makes wine brands human. Why now? Because search behavior is changing quickly. Consumers are increasingly asking AI systems to recommend wineries, experiences, and bottles, and those systems can only surface brands they clearly understand. VINTAGE² is for winery owners, marketers, tasting room leaders, and communications teams who want a clear starting point to explore AI thoughtfully, at their own pace. Learn more here: https://weinheimergroup.com/vintage2

It’s the same conversation in boardrooms, discussion boards, symposiums, and industry reports: “Younger consumers just aren’t drinking wine like previous generations.” Sure, the concern is valid. But the narrative misses key nuances. The reality is that younger consumers are still just that—young. Their drinking habits, lifestyle priorities, and financial realities don’t yet match those of past generations at the same life stage. But instead of writing off Gen Z or younger Millennials, the wine industry needs to adjust its approach. The traditional playbook doesn’t account for how younger consumers live, what they value, or how they engage with brands. If wineries want to stay relevant, it’s time to rewrite the script. 1. Younger Consumers Will Age Into Wine—Just Like Boomers Did A common misstep in the industry’s current panic is comparing a 23-year-old Gen Zer to a 45-year-old Gen Xer. The latter has had decades to develop

In a crowded wineshop, where shelves are lined with countless wine bottles vying for attention, what makes your winery stand out? Clearly, it’s your label, but what drives the label? What makes it unique and different? The answer lies in a compelling brand story. A well-crafted story isn’t just about telling your audience what you do or how you’re different—it’s about conveying why you do it and inviting them to be a part of it, and the visual and written signals that convey this story. It’s about creating a sense of belonging, and for today’s consumers, especially those under 40, that’s more important than ever. Why Your Brand Story Matters Your brand story is the heart and soul of your winery. It’s what makes your brand distinct, emotional, and relatable. It’s not just a narrative about how your winery started; it’s a declaration of purpose—one that resonates with your audience on a deeper level. And in a marke

Be Prepared – says the Boy Scout motto, which is a pretty good summary of our advice for renting a commercial generator. We’re all dependent on electricity; when the power goes out, you don’t want to be scrambling to figure out how you’ll get a backup generator on-site, connected, and running. Losing power is already stressful, but it doesn’t need to be if you prepare. If you anticipate needing portable backup power at any point, determine the answers to the questions below to help us get the right portable generator on your site and hooked up quickly. What voltage is your power? Single phase or three phase? How many amps do you need a backup commercial generator to supply? If the power for the facility is required to be maintained at the same capacity as your electrical utility company provides, it’s necessary to calculate the aggregate load. This is the amount of power consumed during the average peak period where electricity demand is greatest in

After veraison, as grapes develop their enticing color in the vineyard, the age-old battle between man and nature — in the form of hungry birds — begins. Vintners and farmers have experimented with gas cannons, reflective flash tape, sonic sound systems, drones and netting to scare off their voracious flying opponents. But, the noise of cannons and sonics can irritate neighbors, and drones and netting are labor intensive, making them too expensive to maintain. Nature often provides the best solution, and in the case of birds raiding vineyards, the natural solution is birds of prey like falcons. Small birds' instinctive fear of their natural predators causes the flock to shift direction, saving the crop from invasion. After five decades in the bird abatement business, Falcon Crop Protection has an intimate knowledge of bird behavior and has brought this knowledge to wine country after their marketing manager moved to Healdsburg, launching Falcon Crop Protection to help

Acquiring and maintaining the right backup power solution for your facility or home takes planning. Depending upon your goals, you may simply want to put a plan in place for renting a generator when you need it, or you may feel the need to install a stationary, stand-by generator that is ready to jump into action the moment utility power falters. Commercial Standby Generator Stationary, standby generators for commercial properties require planning. Start by considering these questions. Do you want to backup your whole facility, or just some of the electrical load? It is often cost prohibitive to backup your entire facility, but your wiring plan must support separating essential equipment or circuits. If backing up your entire operation is feasible, this simplifies wiring. What kind of fuel do you want to use? Natural gas may be easy to access, but could be turned off by the utility in the event of an emergency. On-site diesel offers more control, along with higher maintenance requ

Be Prepared – says the Boy Scout motto, which is a pretty good summary of our advice for renting a commercial generator as well. We’re all dependent on electricity; let’s face it when the power goes out, you don’t want to be scrambling to figure out how you’ll get a backup generator on-site, connected, and running; losing power is already stressful enough. But it doesn’t need to be, especially if you prepare. If you anticipate needing portable backup power at any point this year, determine the answers to the questions below to help us get the right portable generator on your site and hooked up quickly. What voltage is your power? Single phase or three phase? How many amps do you need a backup commercial generator to supply? If the power for the facility is required to be maintained at the same capacity as your electrical utility company provides, it’s necessary to calculate the aggregate load. This is the amount of power consumed during the av

The stark limitations of hindsight Driving while looking into your rearview mirror isn’t just dangerous but woefully ineffective. Don’t make the same mistake when measuring your wine & spirits sales.  What measurements can be seen in your rearview mirror? Shipments Depletions Accounts Sold Points of Distribution Lost Accounts Gained Accounts These numbers are certainly nice to know. They can tell you a lot about what is happening (or what has recently happened) with your business. But, they tell you absolutely nothing about the QUALITY of your distribution. For that, you need more forward-looking information or, as we like to call it, “leading indicators” of sales success. Follow the crowd, risk falling off a cliff It is rare to find a wine or spirits company reaching beyond our industry's tried and true metrics. Habits are hard things to break.  To have a breakout sales performance, brands need to redefine the success metrics. T

Whenever the topic of wine comes up, and the discussion continues longer than it takes to uncork a bottle of the good stuff, sniffing a cork suspiciously, or say ‘hold my wine’, the conversation will invariably gravitate towards what many consider the wine capital of the world. Not quite a natural disaster, but close Not to put too fine a point on it, I firmly believe that France, and more specifically Bordeaux with its 65 appellations and more than 7,000 châteaux spanning hundreds of thousands of acres, is the wine capital of the world. And this is why recent news about the French government moving to spend €200 million to destroy 80 million gallons of excess wine utterly shocked me (read more here). What can we do about this vinous loss? Other than cracking a lame joke starting with ‘I know this guy …’ and which then delivers a punchline based on traveling to France to drink a fair portion of said doomed wine, nothing much. Which leads me t

Be Prepared – says the Boy Scout motto, which is a pretty good summary of our advice for renting a commercial generator as well. We’re all dependent on electricity; let’s face it when the power goes out, you don’t want to be scrambling to figure out how you’ll get a backup generator on-site, connected, and running; losing power is already stressful enough. But it doesn’t need to be, especially if you prepare. If you anticipate needing portable backup power at any point this year, determine the answers to the questions below to help us get the right portable generator on your site and hooked up quickly. What voltage is your power? Single phase or three phase? How many amps do you need a backup commercial generator to supply? If the power for the facility is required to be maintained at the same capacity as your electrical utility company provides, it’s necessary to calculate the aggregate load. This is the amount of power consumed during the av