Sonoma County Winegrowers Reorganizes to Scale Proven Collaborations and Unlock National Growth Opportunities  At its annual Dollars & $ense meeting today, themed, “The Next Chapter: Elevating What Works and Expanding What’s Possible,” Sonoma County Winegrowers (SCW) announced a strategic reorganization and renewed organizational focus to build demand, expand partnerships, and increase sales of Sonoma County wines to support long-term grower success. The moves reflect a proactive response to an evolving marketplace and are designed to ensure Sonoma County remains competitive, relevant, and well-positioned for future growth. Moving forward, Jennifer Dieckmann, currently Chief Operating Officer of Sonoma County Winegrowers, will assume the role of Executive Director and COO, leading the organization’s day-to-day operations, program execution, and team leadership, while maintaining operational excellence and strengthening grower and stakeholder engagement

As part of our mission to keep our grower and vintner community connected and informed, here’s a look back at our September events, programs, and activations. Hosted Events Somm Immersion  in partnership with GuildSomm Somm Camp co-hosted by Ray Isle Grape Camp Consumer Event Out-In-The-Market Events The Wine Institute  - Eureka! A California Wine Experience in NYC SF Giants Partnership - VIP Cloud Club Wine Tasting Giants Wine Club - First Allocation Shipped! Chicago Bears Partnership - Influencer Suite Wine Tasting Ford Pro Accelerate: The Essential Economy Summit Sonoma County Magnum Awards Digital Media Back Roads & Back Stories - Filmed a New Season with Ray Isle “The Good Stuff” - Weekly Podcast and Articles with Virginie Boone Farm4Profit Podcast - 3 new episodes recorded

Beyond SMS & Email: 2 Proven DTC Channels for More Wine Sales in 2025 New Direct Mail Strategies & Affordable Mobile Apps Deliver Quick Wins As we barrel into OND — the most critical sales quarter for wine brands — many DTC marketing teams are staring down a sobering reality: sales are slumping, inboxes are saturated, and SMS campaigns are losing steam.  The two primary direct marketing channels most wineries rely on — email (used by 85% of brands) and SMS (used by 15%) — are showing serious signs of fatigue. Promotional emails are increasingly buried in spam folders, and just last week, some of the industry’s leading SMS providers urged wineries to limit their use of SMS this holiday season due to deliverability concerns. So what now? If you’re a wine marketer looking for incremental sales this year without taking big risks, it’s time to revisit two proven channels that have quietly regained their edge: direct mail and affordabl

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

The Perils of Using AI to Replace Entry-Level Jobs EXCERPT FROM: AI Wine Marketing News by VinterActive Perhaps you’ve read the headlines about entry-level workers struggling to find jobs due to the rise of AI.  And especially if cash flow is tight, it’s mighty tempting to target entry-level jobs that might be done at lower cost by AI assistants controlled by seasoned marketers.  On the other hand, Harvard Business Review warns: “Replacing entry-level jobs with AI may harm long-term competitiveness by eliminating critical training grounds for future leaders.” — Harvard Business Review What does that mean for wine business managers? As you probably know, AI works best as an assistant, not a replacement.  So, if you don’t have entry-level marketers learning from your experienced leaders, what do you do when senior leaders move to greener pastures? The answer is to challenge leaders to identify repetitive work that AI c

Boost Holiday Wine Club Sales with a Mobile App Ready in 7 Days Let’s not beat around the bush… Direct-to-consumer (DTC) wine sales are down, and fewer wine country visitors fill our tasting rooms. So, this holiday season, all eyes are on wine club sales. But you already know there’s a problem. Many of your best customers complain that they “never see your emails.” And the growing costs and complexity of SMS can overwhelm any wine marketing team. So how can you win this game? Your Secret Weapon: A Custom Wine Club App Email still matters.  It’s great for long-form content, images, or receipts. But between spam filters and overcrowded inboxes, you’re lucky if 50% of your club members see your pick-up reminders, deadlines for customizing shipments, or special holiday sales offers. And even if you text your club members, many of your best customers won’t opt in. That’s why leading brands turned to branded mobile apps over a dec

First-ever MLB wine club features a diverse selection of wines, further solidifying the Giants’ connection to wine country  The San Francisco Giants today announced the Giants Wine Club in partnership with Sonoma County Winegrowers. Now available, the membership-based program features a series of premium Sonoma County wines and is a celebration of the club’s rich history, Northern California wine country and the iconic grape varieties of Sonoma County. Giants Wine Club members will receive three releases each year, including six bottles from six different Sonoma County wineries, shipped in February, May and November. Memberships are available to California residents at Home Run or Grand Slam levels, differentiated by the grapes and wine pricing. Wine will be hand-selected by Giants and first-ever professional sports team Master Sommelier, Evan Goldstein – one of 279 Master Sommeliers worldwide who’s been voted twice into IntoWine.coms “Top 100 Most I

Design Your Own Custom AI Concierge for FREE Affordable pricing starts @ $69/mo Websites, not tasting rooms, are the first point of contact for most consumer journeys.  Still, too many merchants greet website visitors with pretty pictures and pushy pleas to share personal contact info before they’re welcomed with any semblance of hospitality. That’s why VinterActive created an AI Winery Concierge -- a multi-channel chatbot -- trained in the art and science of delivering attentive, personalized customer service 24/7. Why Add an Affordable AI Concierge to Your Team? KEY BUSINESS BENEFITS KEY MARKETING FEATURES Helps guests 24/7  Boosts wine sales Saves time & money Drives engagement Improves customer service Frees up small marketing teams to accomplish more Fully customized personas Detailed brand training Self-learning mode Compliance aware Asks for feedback Multichannel/multilingual: chatbot, standalone, mobile app, Shopify, SMS, email, In