The wine industry is steeped in tradition, but let’s be real—it’s time to shake things up. Younger demographics aren’t buying into the same old wine marketing tricks or outdated experiences. Want to grab their attention (and their dollars)? Then it’s time to think bold, fun, and modern. You Don’t Have to Do It All—Start Small and Stay True to Your Brand Attracting younger wine lovers doesn’t mean you need to overhaul everything or abandon your roots. Instead, consider making a few strategic shifts that align with your brand. Maybe your website keeps the traditional tasting notes, but you have fun with social media. Maybe your weekends are reserved for 21+ reservation-only tastings, but your weekdays are more relaxed and family-friendly. The key is finding what works for you and your audience. Now, let’s dive into some ideas. 1. Flex Your Wine Club Options Your wine club isn’t working for everyone. Sure, your loyal members lov

Planning a year’s worth of winery marketing campaigns might seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be! This guide offers 60 winery marketing campaigns—a mix of traditional ideas, trending concepts, and fresh ways to tie into wine holidays and cultural moments. Whether you tackle five campaigns or all 60, you’ll find plenty of ways to connect with your audience, build loyalty, and sell more wine. January – Fresh Starts and Cozy Comfort Start the year by replenishing wine racks, embracing wellness trends, and celebrating comfort. Restock the Wine Rack: Give customers a reason to restock their post-holiday shelves with irresistible case discounts. January Blues Buster: Warm up dreary winter days with a winery marketing campaign focused on bold reds and bubbly wines paired with hearty recipes. Dry January Wellness Kits: Stay on-trend with non-alcoholic bundles featuring sparkling water, herbal teas, and a voucher for tastings next month. Super Bowl Prep: Fo

As the busiest time of year for wineries approaches, it’s critical to plan ahead for the holiday season, specifically the OND period (October, November, December). With so many opportunities—Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's—wineries need to strategically market to capture sales and build lasting customer relationships. Here’s a detailed guide, based on our Holiday Marketing Webinar, to help you create campaigns that will maximize your success this holiday season. Why Holiday Marketing is Critical for Wineries The holiday season often represents the most lucrative time of year for wineries, with up to 30% or more of annual sales generated during OND. This period provides opportunities for increased engagement, new customer acquisition, and deeper loyalty with existing customers. The biggest reason for the spike in holiday sales is the gifting mindset. During the holidays, customers are not only buying for themselves but als

Wine sales have a seasonal cycle to them. Wine orders, especially DTC wine orders, tend to spike during the holiday season (OND) and then even out in the new year, tapering off to a slower season as summer approaches. But inventory does not always match this cycle. It’s not uncommon for a winery to see pallets of inventory waiting to move just as the slow season starts.  Extra inventory can also happen if the year itself has been slow, regardless of what season it is. (And, for some wineries, that’s been the case this year—at least, if industry reports are to be believed.) That’s the puzzle: How do you get all that inventory to move? We’ve seen some simple ideas that work well, and which can help you use what you have to your best advantage. Idea #1: Mystery Cases People love a good mystery. And they love to explore new things. So create a wine club package that is a “mystery pack” or mystery case. Fill it with a selection of products

Afternoon Brief, March 14th

Wine Blogger from New Jersey Disappeared in Italy 5 Years Ago—FBI Seeks Help Trying to Find Him: The FBI is asking for the public’s help as they continue to search for a New Jersey native and self-described wine blogger who was last seen nearly five years ago in northern Italy...

One crucial step in winemaking is the process of selecting an appropriate glass bottle. Why? Because a wine's identity is greatly influenced by its glass bottle. Often, the content of the bottle takes center stage in conversations and articles rather than the bottle itself. However, our attention today will be on elevating your wine packaging, specifically how wine bottles are packaged for distribution. In the last few years, wine packaging has experienced a radical shift. The invention of cans, tetra packs, and other packaging materials and innovations have changed the way producers think about wine packaging. However, glass bottles remain the traditional and preferred method for wine packaging. A typical wine bottle is made of glass and is available in a variety of sizes and forms. However, most wines are commonly packaged in 750 mL glass bottles. Glass bottles have been used for hundreds of years for wine packaging and have proven to be quite beneficial. However, this has not a

The wine marketplace continues its post-pandemic shifts.  By Laurie Wachter The August 24 Wine Industry Sales Symposium consisted of four sessions covering the value of DTC and sales data in boosting sales, planning for the holidays, corporate gifting and luxury marketing strategy. Here’s a quick look back. Using Data Analytics to Optimize DTC Pricing and Inventory Depletion Costs have risen exponentially since the onset of the pandemic, making it even more critical to use data analytics to guide wine pricing to maximize profits.  “Wineries have an amazing amount of data from their POS systems and wine clubs that can be used to build a depletion curve, price elasticity estimates and predictive models,” says Bob Terzotis of Mather Economics.  Jim Moroney reached out to Mather after opening Sixmilebridge Vineyards (Paso Robles, Calif.) during the pandemic. “We were running out of Cabernet Sauvignon partway into our first vintage. I needed to raise t