Starting a new business is an exciting venture, and for many entrepreneurs, a catchy brand name for their company or products is the first step toward success. In recent years, companies—especially breweries, wineries, and toy manufacturers—have adopted parody trademarks to garner attention for their products. A clever and humorous parody mark can be an amusing way to stand out, but it also carries significant risks. A “parody trademark” is a mark that uses an existing brand in a satirical or humorous manner. These marks take recognizable elements from the original and change them with a humorous twist to create a new commercial impression. However, a parody must be perceived by consumers as a critique or joke, rather than as an indication of an affiliation between the businesses. If the parody mark uses a well-known brand’s recognition to sell its own products, it may be deemed infringing by the owner of the pre-existing brand, even when such use is consi

Why Is Glass Bottle Packaging Important? Wine can be packaged in a variety of ways; however, consumers continue to prefer the conventional glass bottle packaging format, which is by far the most popular. Although glass bottle packaging has less flexibility in its ability to capture attention than labels , it can still convey a lot of information to the consumer and increase brand standout in-store. Purchasing wine is seen as having a high level of risk. People don’t want to risk purchasing wines that result in poor wine quality, financial risk, or social embarrassment. Therefore,  consumers search for information when browsing in-store to lower risk: price, varietal, region, brand/winery, or in-store recommendation. The majority of people who aren’t particularly interested in wine conduct their informational searching in-store and rely primarily on visual cues. A customer is more likely to buy wine if they recognize the brand name or have already tried it. Factors like

The California Department of Food & Agriculture has announced it has certified the votes on the referendum to continue the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission, also known as the Sonoma County Winegrowers (SCW), for another five years.  Garnering 85.77% percent of the vote, winegrape growers strongly supported continuation of the organization.  The Commission was established in 2006 and is required by California law to conduct a grower vote every five years to determine if they want to continue to be assessed to fund the organization.    “It is very gratifying to see the efforts of the Commission recognized and supported by the very people who fund it and make all the great work possible,” said Bret Munselle, chairman of the SCW board of directors and owner of Munselle Vineyards.  He added, “Through the assessment, the growers have been personally investing in promoting Sonoma County for nearly 20 years and with this vote, SCW will continue

Join Karen MacNeil, Kimberly Noelle Charles and Gino Colangelo, co-founders of the Come Over October campaign, for a focused webinar on how wineries, wine companies, and wine regions can use this fall’s campaign to promote and sell their wines. Begun in 2024, Come Over October is a hugely successful grassroots consumer campaign in support of wine as the beverage that brings people together. To date Come Over October, and its sister campaign Share & Pair Sundays, have garnered nearly 2 billion media impressions and more than 1400 retail stores will run Come Over October promotions this fall. The webinar will include special guests, plus an excerpt from the campaign’s interview with winemaker Alecia Moore (stage name P!nk). Speakers:  

The conversations I have about quality tend to focus on red wine. This is especially true in California, where Napa Cabs have historically garnered high prices, followed up by Coastal Pinot noirs and red Rhones. Honestly, in most places I’ve been where the climate allows for ripening red grapes, the reds are the main event with the whites being more of a warm-up act or even an afterthought. As a result, we know a lot about how to grow red grapes for quality – and less about how to grow whites. Consumer tastes are shifting though, and the big reds of yore are taking a back seat. Drinkers want lower alcohol wines with a lighter style and wineries are taking fewer risks with wine they can turn around in under a year. As a result, white varieties are in hot demand. If you’re a grower who can’t sell your grapes, you may very well be considering grafting some of your reds over to white.  So how do you grow a good white? In many ways whites are harder than their r

With the U.S. wine industry under pressure from declining sales, shifting consumer trends, and economic headwinds, Sonoma County’s vintners and grape growers are coming together in an unprecedented way to confront these challenges – and chart a positive path forward for the local industry. A steering committee of regional leaders has been formed to explore establishing the Sonoma County Wine Improvement District (WID) to provide stable, strategic funding for the long-term strength and sustainability of Sonoma County’s wine and agricultural economy.  The stakes are high. The marketplace is changing rapidly and maintaining the status quo is not an option. The wine industry is facing challenges like never before which must be addressed to reverse the decline and grow the overall wine category.  This effort is significant and grounded in a fundamental truth: grape growers and vintners are inextricably connected, and the success of one depends on the strength o

Innovative High-Solids & Multipurpose Filtration System Earns Industry Attention Criveller Group is pleased to announce that its groundbreaking CFI crossflow filter has been featured in the July 1 edition of Wine Business Monthly, highlighting its role as a leader in high-solids and multipurpose filtration technology. This recognition reinforces Criveller’s long-standing reputation for delivering equipment that responds directly to the needs of modern winemaking. Built for both lees-rich product recovery and standard wine filtration, the CFI is a versatile, all-in-one solution that significantly reduces downtime, simplifies operations, and maximizes product yield. Winemakers no longer need separate equipment for clear wine and solids-heavy filtration—the CFI handles both with ease. Innovative Features Garnering Industry Recognition: Exceptionally High Throughput: The CFI delivers significantly higher flow rates on lees, optimizing processing times and boosting overall

Over two years we released 30 online courses that garnered 526 total views in the Sustainable Winegrowing On-Demand online course grant project! Here's what Participants had to Say: "The Sustainable Winegrowing on Demand course is thoughtfully created and packed with valuable insights. The content is thorough and practical, providing useful knowledge that’s both relevant and immediately applicable." - Thomas Crottogini, Helena Agri-Enterprises "The quality of the content and the flexibility of the online platform are awesome. Super interesting and useful; easy to access." Winegrape Farmer, Paso Robles, California Final Survey Results 94% want more courses Top 3 reasons for taking courses:59% - Improve sustainability 56% - DPR hours 52% - To learn for future projects Top 3 future topics:Soil health Pest/disease management Vineyard development Note on CE Hours: We understand that the quiz length, inability to fast forward, and need to click to continue ca

[This third in a series of articles on the art of event marketing is a guide that focuses on all the main event. Reference post #1 post, Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail, to discover proactive tactics to complete first, followed by #2: It’s Showtime, to grab quick lessons on game-time decisions at the event.] Don’t Stop Now You’ve planned for the conference. You’ve attended the conference, and you hit it out of the park. The booth garnered oohs and ahhs. Attendees came from far and wide to learn more about the brand with the coolest setup on the floor. It would be easy at this stage to deem the event a success and call it a day. Not so fast. A successful event program depends on post-event activities as much as it does on the event itself. As you wind down one event, you’re already preparing for the next by reflecting on how the event unfolded. What worked? What didn’t? Did we meet our goals? Can we do better? Check out our all-in-one Confere