Two years ago, I wrote an article on AI in the vineyard for WBM. Feel free to read that article here…if you want. Otherwise, my basic argument was that although AI will eventually play a role in how we farm grapes, it’s a long way off compared to other industries and even other crops. We who grow grapes are the last ones to see such innovation. And since then, AI has grown exponentially. If two years ago you were playing around with Chat GPT to create bizarrely distorted images and learn about tax loopholes, you can now go onto the likes of Claude and have it just create a website for you from a single prompt. Chatbots like this have essentially eliminated the need for entry-level coders. However Claude is a computer, so it makes sense that it’s gotten very good at writing code for other computers. Similarly Chat GPT has digested the entire internet, and curates any answer for you by plucking it from its vast network of information. Sometimes its correct, and other t

This month: Soft seas, more questions, and a consumer that’s anxious and cautious about tomorrow. October’s here, and the supply chain feels eerily quiet. Not calm exactly – just slow. There is movement, but it’s more drift than direction. Freight rates are down, not because we have gotten more efficient, but because demand is low. Fuel is holding steady, but only because the broader economy seems reluctant to surge. There are no logjams at the ports, yet there is not much urgency, either. Glass remains tight. Lead times are still creeping. And while retail shelves are being reset for the holiday sprint, the pace feels tentative. Brands are pushing forward, but many are doing so with a wary eye on cost, conversion, and the uncertain mood of the American shopper. The story of October is about the tension between the inertia of supply and the jitteriness of demand. Between short-term calm and long-term concern. Market overview Fuel costs rose imperceptibly from $3

Bottle360: Redefining DTC Wine Sales Proven Bottom-Line Results The trend toward wine subscriptions and modernized membership formats relies on personalization. That means wineries need to tailor their messaging, pricing and communications to individual wine consumers. Making personalization flexible, is the most sought-after function in Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) programs, but many users find that their software makes it hard to accomplish. Bottle360 is tackling this challenge. “The tools a winery needs to boost new consumer sales and earn repeat orders have to be highly flexible to personalize customer experiences but also match the individuality and uniqueness of each winery,” says Katherine Adams, the CEO and founder of Bottle360. “That is why we focused on developing the right tools that offer versatile ways for the winery to transform how they connect with their potential customers and foster deeper loyalty with existing ones. Our goal is to increa

SEATTLE, WA – August 27, 2025 – Bottle360, the leading all-in-one DTC winery software platform, today announced the launch of WineWallet™, a groundbreaking  loyalty, rewards, points, and subscription club program designed to deepen customer engagement, attract new consumers, and drive recurring revenue for wineries. This innovative solution empowers wineries with the tools they need to build stronger relationships with their patrons while providing both wine enthusiasts and new consumers with exclusive benefits. All in a seamless way that makes it easy for them to collect, track, and redeem without the need for coupons or gift cards.  WineWallet is natively built within the Bottle360 platform, offering wineries a robust suite of tools to create customizable loyalty or reward points for purchases, events, engagement, etc., in flexible ways the winery controls. In addition wineries can offer and manage recurring Wine Club Subscriptions with unparalleled e

It’s hard, in any business, to choose strategies that promote long term growth and longevity while struggling to keep the lights on and make payroll every month. Under thinly veiled panic, we have a tendency to push our sales teams to treat our buyers as means to an end when cash is tight. Overvaluing vanity metrics like off-premise accounts sold, we scrounge for quick, small wins and placements that result in high churn and ultimately lead us right back to square one.    While we may accept – somewhere in the distant, tightly compartmentalized, “rational part” of our brain – that not all accounts are equal and that the vast majority of volume is driven by the top ten or twenty percent of our customers, we go on behaving this way nonetheless, because action feels better than a sales cycle rivaling the Great Wall of China lengthwise.   The good news for wineries & distilleries willing to be more strategic with their sales resources is

New ownership continues Grand Cru's legacy of supporting Sonoma County's small, independent wineries. WINDSOR, Calif., (Dec. 10, 2024) – Grand Cru Custom Crush, a winery collective based in Windsor, California, is excited to announce a new chapter in its history with the acquisition of ownership by Jake and Maggie Coin, effective 12/1/2024. The Coins are committed to continuing Grand Cru's core values of quality, collaboration, and sustainability, ensuring its continued success as a premier destination for Sonoma County's family-owned wineries. Jake and Maggie Coin, founders and owners of Copper Six Winery, have been connected to Grand Cru Custom Crush since 2022, when they began crushing their wines at the facility. Their relationship with Grand Cru, combined with their dedication to producing high-quality wines, makes them uniquely positioned to lead the facility into its next chapter. "We are thrilled to become part of Grand Cru Custom Crush in this

Andy White, an Account Manager at Lumo and the author of this article, installing a Lumo smart valve.  I need to be honest with you about something…I had the idea for Lumo ten years ago. Well, that might be an overstatement. But at some point, I realized the flow meter was key for automation accountability. In fact, I’d bet you half the vineyard managers in Napa have had that idea at one point or another, because we’ve all found ourselves at the altar of the irrigation gods, praying that nothing is going terribly wrong with that automated timer system we set up a week ago and haven’t had a chance to go back to check on. And sure, from the outside looking in, you might wonder what would drive a vineyard manager to use a system with no built-in accountability, no remote control, no leak alerts or visibility into how much water you’re applying. Why would you put yourself in that position? It’s obviously not where you want to be. Of course it&

A must pump is, well, a must for wineries hoping to move any kind of volume of grapes. If you're moving grapes with bins alone (or, heaven forbid, buckets & shovels) you might not realize just how much simpler a good must pump can make things. Let's take a look at what's out there and what we recommend. Although this article is focused on must pumps, what we say here can apply to nearly any semi-solid like beer/whiskey mash, etc. Care & Feeding of Must Pumps First things first: I often hear people looking for a must pump that is powerful enough to suck must directly out of a bin of grapes with a hose. Sadly, they are hunting for a unicorn. While we offer pumps that can pull a nearly perfect vacuum, you will be disappointed if you just stick a hose into a bin hoping to Hoover up all the grape must. It's more likely that the pump will suck up all the liquid and leave the solids behind. Must pumps need to be "fed" solids in order to work properly. You typ

(February 9, 2024, Novato, CA) – The California Department of Food & Agriculture’s Preliminary Grape Crush Report for 2023 was released today. The crush of 3.668 million tons stayed in line with the Ciatti Company’s earlier pre-harvest projections of 3.5 - 3.7 million tons  Ciatti’s experienced brokers are available for further details, comments & analysis on the 2023 California Grape Crush Report. Please call 415-458-5150. North Coast The takeaway from the North Coast is that the 2023 crush looked a lot like the rest of the state where wineries were willing to receive grapes only to the contracted volumes and then held growers to that number. Unlike much of the rest of the state, in the North Coast there was a late season spot market for grapes in Napa and Sonoma that cleaned up any extra tonnage. A noteworthy highlight from the North Coast harvest in 2023: Napa County harvested 92,262 tons of Cabernet Sauvignon up from 73,812 tons in 2022. - Chr

NEW YEAR can mean  NEW SPACE in your warehouse  ECONOFIEDS is Changing and inviting you to List Your Equipment for FREE! To help launch this ‘CLASSIFIEDS for the Winemaker’, you are invited to LIST YOUR winery EQUIPMENT FOR FREE and be sent to over 3100 wineries. EMAIL your 20-word listing to ECONOFIEDS@Gmail.com NEW at UNIFIED : MAVRIK !! Visit us at booth C3 to see updated technology that will help clean your wine’s delicate flavor, aroma and color. We look forward to showing you! COME SEE US!! UNIFIED WINE & GRAPE SYMPOSIUM W & Th, January 24 – 25, 2024 Sacramento : Safe Credit Union Convention Center Check out this Party: ï»¿ P&L Specialties – Booth #C3  You gotta see our pole! Tom Beard Company  – Booth #1406 Revolution Equipment Sales   – Booth #1404