Turning Summer Visitors into Long-Term Customers How to make sure they come for the pour and stay for the story Summer is finally here, and tasting rooms are buzzing with sunhats, selfie sticks, and road-trippers on the hunt for their next favorite wine. The influx is real: tasting room visitation peaks between May and September, with over 45% of annual winery visitors arriving in Q2 and Q3, according to data from the Silicon Valley Bank State of the Wine Industry Report. But here’s the challenge: for many of these guests, the experience ends with the last pour. One weekend, one flight, one forgotten name. So how do you turn that quick hello into a lasting relationship? The secret isn’t more marketing noise—it’s thoughtful connection. Think of your summer surge as the top of a funnel. If you treat each guest like a one-time transaction, you’re throwing away the most valuable part of that funnel: the chance to turn casual tasters into year-round customers

From Midnight Mocktails to Croatian Coasts: The Top Travel Trends Stealing Wine Country's Thunder As travelers eagerly plan their next getaways, the tourism landscape is shifting—fast. Driven by changing values, advancing tech, and global events, how we explore the world in 2025 looks very different than it did just a few years ago. From AI-crafted itineraries to wellness retreats designed around your sleep cycle, travel today is more curated, personal, and purpose-driven than ever. But while adventurers chase hot springs in Iceland and food tours in Tokyo, one classic destination is quietly slipping from the spotlight: wine country. Once a top choice for weekend getaways and special occasions, winery visits are on the decline. And for the wine industry, that’s more than just a hospitality hiccup—it’s a missed opportunity to turn curious sippers into lifelong fans. Understanding this season’s top travel trends isn’t just about keeping up. It&rsq

Afternoon Brief, March 8th

Women Are ‘The Emerging Market’ for Fine Wine – But Merchants Must Invest to See Growth: Fine wine merchants and private client teams may be missing a trick by failing to invest in high-net-worth women as fine wine collectors, according to some of the leading voices in the industry – with the first merchant to crack this emerging market set to have “a massive advantage”...

Afternoon Brief, October 20th

Sonoma’s Toad Hollow Vineyards Acquired by ‘Masters of Guerrilla Winefare’: Unoaked Chardonnay pioneer Toad Hollow has been sold to WarRoom Cellars for an undisclosed sum...

Afternoon Brief, October 19th

Vintners union vows to stop cheap imports from entering French market and says the government ‘bears a heavy responsibility’...

By Steve Fredricks In 2019, the bulk market was flooded with supply — and pessimism. There were record tons of grapes for sale at the beginning of the 2019 harvest while many tons languished un-harvested. Traditional buyers became sellers, while many buyers opted to not extend expiring contracts and purchased less in 2019. Some sellers received no offers at all, and what was sold endured severe price corrections, especially late in the year. Some growers started removing financially untenable vines. A tough growing season only added to the misery, with rain at bloom, frost both early and late, high disease pressure, another fire in the North Coast, power outages — let’s just say we’re all happy to see 2019 in the rearview mirror. But cycles of excess supply and demand aren’t new; just check our Wine Business Wheel of Fortune for a visual. Such swings are a natural part of the wine business, and over the last five decades we’ve counseled clients throu