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

In this episode, George sits down with Dr. Liz Thach, MW, President of Wine Market Council where she shares her incredible journey through the world of wine and education. From her adventurous upbringing, including writing a children’s book inspired by her father’s crane research, to her groundbreaking achievement as the first woman in California to earn the Master of Wine title, Liz’s story is one of passion and perseverance. She reflects on her transition from the corporate world to teaching at Sonoma State University and her love of exploring regional wine cultures while traveling the U.S. and abroad. Tune in to hear how Liz’s dedication to education, innovation, and listening to life’s opportunities has shaped her remarkable career in wine.

Afternoon Brief: How TikTok Could Transform the Wine Industry

Within hours of TikTok announcing that it would allow alcohol advertising in North America, alcohol companies began running recruitment ads for TikTok specialists. Whats surprising is how few wine companies joined in...

Turning the Tables on Dr. Liz Thach, MW

By Carl Giavanti Dr. Liz Thach, MW, is a freelance wine writer, wine market expert, researcher, educator and consultant based in California’s Napa and Sonoma counties. She is an award-winning […]

Coco Chanel once said, “The best things in life are free. The second best are very expensive.” The mistress of iconic fashion couldn’t have stated it more succinctly. Luxury today, as it was in Coco’s time, is not essential but continues to be highly desirable and prestigious because of the quality, price, and prestige it confers on its consumers.  However, when it comes to marketing, luxury brands are like any other brand. They market themselves to those who can afford to buy them and those who aspire to own something, anything, created by them. Like all brands, they battle for share of mind and wallet. 93% of Consumer Engagement with Luxury Brands Occurs on Instagram (Source: Digimind) COVID accelerated a trend already in the making – the economy saw a massive shift to eCommerce, and marketing shifted accordingly to digital platforms. Not surprisingly, luxury fashion, jewelry, cars, and retail brands were the first to commit to social media. They i

Joint program offers wine production track and bachelor’s degree transition options for Sonoma State University and Santa Rosa Junior College students   Sonoma County, CA – The Wine Business Institute in the School of Business and Economics at Sonoma State University in partnership with Santa Rosa Junior College launched a new bachelor’s degree transition program to serve the community. The first of its kind in the region, the program combines well-established strengths of two of the San Francisco North Bay’s leading institutions of higher education to provide state-of-the-art education for residents interested in careers in wine production and management. The new bachelor’s degree transition program will be available to SRJC and SSU students beginning fall semester 2020. More information can be found at http://sbe.sonoma.edu/undergraduate/bs-business-administration/wine-business-strategies-concentration. “The transition program serves the nee