Having an accurate case goods inventory count at all times is critical to successful winery management, yet many still rely on manual, outdated spreadsheets that only get periodically updated. This makes inventory reconciliation frustrating, compliance reporting difficult, and doesn’t provide a clear view of what’s available to sell to inform demand and the sales team. At InnoVint, we believe wineries need a smarter, more connected way to manage inventory. One that integrates seamlessly with production, sales, and financial operations. That’s why we’re thrilled to introduce SUPPLY, InnoVint’s case goods inventory management solution and the newest cornerstone of our vision for a fully integrated winery operating system. The InnoVint Vision: An End-to-End Winery Operating System For years, wineries have been forced to manage different parts of their business using disconnected tools. Vineyard data, winemaking data, inventory tracking, and associated costs

Social media for wineries, a crucial aspect of marketing, can be challenging for many small to medium-sized businesses. Often, the responsibility for managing social media and other marketing efforts is shared among employees who juggle multiple roles within the winery or are outsourced to external agencies. This guide aims to simplify social media strategies, providing actionable insights and tips for achieving success in 2024. 1. Engage Your Audience and Build a Social Media Community Your social media platforms should feel like a welcoming place for wine enthusiasts. A strong online community enhances brand loyalty and transforms casual followers into brand loyalists. Regularly interacting with your audience–through responding to comments, engaging with similar accounts, and hosting live events and behind-the-scenes content–should be a cornerstone of your social media strategy. Being engaged in the social media world doesn’t have to take up all of your time, but i

Afternoon Brief, April 22nd

Napa Green’s Roundup Ban Underscores Controversy behind Sonoma County’s ‘Certified Sustainable’ Vineyards: 95% of Sonoma County’s vineyards are certified-sustainable. Here’s why that’s controversial...

After a record winter and spring, with much-needed rainfall and below-average temperatures, the growing season started slower this year, putting predictions for the start of harvest closer to the “norm.” Vine and grape development are showing about one to two weeks behind a normal year (depending on the appellation and vineyard) and around three weeks behind the last few drought-impacted growing seasons. Accurate predictions for harvest rely heavily on favorable weather during August, with hopes that growth progress will quicken slightly.  Bloom was met with cool, misty weather, but the vines are looking healthy, and the 2023 crop is shaping up for what should be an average-size year, with expected yields getting back on par with pre-drought sizes. With steadily climbing temperatures during July, veraison has just started in some of the warmer, northern areas of the county, with the rest of the region eagerly awaiting its arrival.  Alexander Valley  “Th

Jose Aceves, a 54-year veteran of Dutton Ranch, claimed the Sonoma County vineyard workforce’s highest honor over the weekend Jose Aceves was just 19 when he began working at Dutton Ranch, a sixth-generation family farm, apple orchard and vineyard in Santa Rosa. That was 1969. Fifty-four years later, Aceves still works at Dutton Ranch, where he’s gone from field worker, to tractor driver, truck driver, foreman and supervisor. Those years of hard and successful work paid off Feb. 25 when Aceves received his most prestigious title yet: Sonoma County’s Vineyard Employee of the Year. “There is no doubt we wouldn’t be as successful without Jose’s dedication and expertise all these years,” said Steve Dutton, president and co-owner of Dutton Ranch. “Vineyard workers are the backbone of the wine industry, so It’s fantastic to see him receive this honor.” Born in Jalisco, Mexico, Aceves came to Dutton Ranch with his childhood best frie

While associated with fun and frivolity, sparkling wine is a complex wine of many moving parts that requires serious skill to make. We catch up with some of the leading lights in the fizz industry, from Champagne, Spain and England, to find out the secrets of their craft and the challenges surrounding creating a consistent sparkling wine style in an ever-changing climate. Synonymous with celebration, sparkling wines are easy to enjoy but challenging to create. Crafting quality fizz requires a skilled hand, well-trained nose, razor-sharp intuition and nerves of steel come harvest time, when deciding on the perfect moment to pick feels like a game of Russian roulette. Cellar masters are the wizards of the wine world, able to create a consistent style of wine each year from hundreds of elements amid increasingly erratic weather conditions. They have to be time travellers too, projecting themselves into the future when tasting aggressively acidic base wines, working out how they will harmo

Jose Aceves, of Dutton Ranch, Named Vineyard Employee of the Year At Newly Named “Fundación de la Voz de los Viñedos” Event SANTA ROSA, Calif. (February 27, 2023) – News was being delivered throughout the day at the newly named Fundación de la Voz de los Viñedos’ 5th annual Vineyard Employee Recognition Celebration. Acknowledged as one of the most innovative and prestigious awards in the winegrape industry, the Employee Recognition award salutes the accomplishments, talent and leadership of vineyard employees who contribute greatly to making Sonoma County a world-renowned wine region and sustainability leader. This year’s event was held at Saralee and Richard’s Barn at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in front 380 people including vineyard employees, their families, grape growers and community leaders. “The Employee Recognition event is my favorite of the year because we publicly honor our valued employees in front

Creative thinking drives efforts on a new kind of wine club to give customers what they really want. San Jose, CA, January 19, 2021 — As closures and restrictions remain in place for many wineries during the pandemic, the ability to maximize online sales through traditional as well as new marketing initiatives has become imperative. One creative new endeavor that is moving the needle is the Subscription program. While wine clubs have traditionally been the cornerstone of an integral source of recurring business, the subscription model is a new twist on the classic, and it is quickly gaining traction. Subscriptions part ways with the standard wine club paradigm in a couple of important ways. Subscriptions offer customers more customizable options for their recurring orders. Unlike traditional club memberships, where the winery or retailer issues wines selected at their own discretion, the subscription model offers the customer the ability to choose the wine they want, and the desi