WIN Expo is Thursday (December 4, Santa Rosa). Adam Bird presents "Cultivating a Timeless Wine Brand In Changing Times" in the Sales & Marketing track. If you haven't registered: This session is for winery owners and marketing directors who understand that fixing brand infrastructure solves dozens of downstream tactical problems. The framework applies immediately. The audience self-selects. Several producers you know are already attending, the ones who treat brand work as a strategic infrastructure rather than aesthetic preference. December 4, 9am-4pm. Sonoma County Fairgrounds. 12 workshops, 300+ exhibitors, end-of-year deals. Highway 29 Creative Wine marketing that connects.

In this WIN Insider Series episode, George interviews Adam Bird, Director of Strategy and Partner at Deksia and Highway 29 Creative, about navigating marketing challenges in today’s wine industry. Adam draws on extensive experience across multiple marketing sectors to share strategic insights on evolving consumer behaviors and what it takes to adapt and grow in a shifting marketplace. The conversation covers critical topics including the importance of authenticity in wine marketing, how regional and generational differences shape strategy, the challenge of engaging younger consumers, and what the future of wine marketing looks like. Whether you’re a winery owner, marketer, or industry professional, Adam’s candid insights offer practical guidance for positioning your brand in an increasingly competitive landscape. Watch to learn how successful wine brands are staying culturally relevant while building long-term customer loyalty. You can also hear more from Adam at the

Wine Sales Symposium 2025’s roundtable of writers and PR experts explores how storytelling and publicity can shift the narrative. By Laurie Wachter Carl GiavantiDoes media coverage really help sell wine?  That’s the question the roundtable of top wine journalists and PR experts will set out to answer in Mastering Modern Media: How to Secure & Leverage Media Coverage That Drives Sales, one of the first sessions at the May 14th Wine Sales Symposium in Santa Rosa, CA. Moderator Carl Giavanti, a winery publicist and author of Wine Industry Advisor’s interview series, Turning the Tables, will lead the panel discussion by asking six questions about the benefits and pitfalls of media coverage.   What role does media coverage play in helping drive awareness and, ultimately, sales? “It’s always been about storytelling,” says Giavanti, “and even more so today when there’s so much competition, variety and options for adult beverages. Y

For more information on the original round of funding from the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), please see our previous article. On September 18, 2020, the USDA announced a new program and additional round of funding for agricultural producers who continue to face market disruptions, and associated costs, due to COVID-19. Signup for CFAP 2 began September 21, 2020, and runs through December 11, 2020. Brief Overview Brief Overview Eligibility and payment limits are separate from the CFAP 1 program. If you’ve already applied for CFAP 1, make sure to check eligibility for CFAP 2, evaluate your eligibility and if you want to apply, then apply as soon as possible. Applications can be submitted online via the USDA website or with your local Farm Service Agency office. CFAP 2 was adapted to include more commodities that weren’t eligible in CFAP 1 including over 230 specialty crops. CFAP 2 payments will be made

Industry Experts Share Their 3-Tier Insights The 2nd Annual 3-Tier Wine Symposium will leverage channel experts from all facets of the three-tier system who will present a full day of information designed to help winery owners, executives, and sales & marketing professionals learn more about the complicated, but necessary, world of distributor and buyer relations. Attendees will leave with the tools and techniques needed to grow their brand and maximize profitability. Building upon the foundation of last year's event, this year’s conference will include two panels featuring successful wine buyers and their perspective insights into buying behavior changes and purchasing trends in general. The program will also include a category overview, the impact of technology, small producer success stories and more. 2020 Featured Speakers:   Katie Calhoun President / Calhoun & Company Communications Michael De Loach Owner & President / MD Wine Industry Consulting