Your Current Marketing Won't Work for Younger Wine Drinkers The generational shift in wine consumption is happening faster than most wineries are prepared to handle. According to Wine Intelligence's US Wine Consumer Trends 2025 report, millennials will surpass baby boomers as the largest wine-consuming demographic by value this year. Meanwhile, the oldest members of Gen Z (born 1997-2012) are now turning 28 and developing their own distinctive wine preferences. The problem? Most wineries continue marketing as if their primary audience is still over 55. The messaging, channels, and tactics that worked for boomers actively repel younger buyers. Let's examine what actually works when marketing to these crucial demographics. What Younger Wine Consumers Actually Want Millennial Wine Drinkers (Ages 29-44) Millennials approach wine fundamentally differently than their parents: What They Value: Transparency about production methods and ingredients Sustainable and ethical busines

Your Customers Check Texts Faster Than Emails, So Why Are You Still Only Relying on Inboxes? The typical American checks their phone 96 times a day, that's once every 10 minutes. While your carefully crafted email campaign sits unopened among dozens of others, text messages get read within minutes. The numbers don't lie: SMS messages have a 98% open rate compared to email's paltry 20-30%. Even more telling, 90% of text messages are read within the first three minutes of delivery. For wineries competing for attention in crowded digital spaces, this isn't just a nice-to-have channel, it's the most direct line to your customer's attention. Why SMS Works Specifically for Wine Brands Wine isn't software or fashion, it's experiential, emotional, and often enjoyed in specific moments. This unique position makes SMS particularly effective for wineries in ways other industries can't match. First, wine consumers are increasingly mobile-first. When planning wee

Every member of your club is not exactly the same. So why are you treating them that way? The typical winery sends identical emails to every member of their club, from the first-time joiner who discovered you last weekend to the loyal patron who's been with you for a decade. The result? Generic messaging that resonates with no one. Segmentation, the practice of dividing your audience into meaningful groups based on shared characteristics, isn't just marketing jargon. For wineries, it's the difference between treating members like transaction numbers versus building relationships that keep them enrolled for years. In this guide, we'll explore practical segmentation strategies that don't require a data science degree—just your existing CRM tools and a willingness to see your members as individuals rather than a homogenous list. The Problem with "One Size Fits All Wine Club Communications The allure of the single-list approach is obvious: it's fast, it&#

Most wineries get influencer marketing wrong. They partner with wine influencers, people whose entire brand is sipping wine on camera, swirling glasses, and rattling off tasting notes. The problem? They’re talking to people who already love wine. That’s not where growth happens. The younger generation of drinkers isn’t seeking out wine content. But they are following influencers who shape their choices about food, travel, design, and experiences. The smart wineries, the ones who will win the next decade, aren’t just looking for people who talk about wine. They’re finding the ones who shape how young consumers live. This is how you reach them. Who Actually Sells Wine? Think about the last time you tried a new restaurant, a new recipe, a new brand. Did you discover it because someone told you to? Or because you saw someone you trust experience it? That’s the difference between marketing and influence. For wineries, the best influencer partnerships com

WEBSITE CASE STUDY DeLille has risen to be one of the most recognized, accessible, and loved wineries in Washington State; they wanted a website that reflects just that! “We sought out Highway 29 upon recommendations from industry contacts in order to make a custom site that integrated with our third-party winery management platform. Our goal was to harness the flexibility of WordPress while leveraging our WineDirect shop functionality so as to not affect our logistical operations. We now have a custom site that elevates our winery’s offerings and is reflective of our mission and story. Our new site is beautiful, elegant and sophisticated. Our new wine shop highlights the uniqueness of each wine and makes sorting and searching for wines much more effective. We’ve also elevated our vineyard partnerships and blog through the new design, as well as modernizing calls to action for visitation to both our tasting room and restaurant. This is only the begin

From blog posts and email campaigns to Instagram Reels and virtual tastings, the content you create sets the tone for how people discover, engage with, and connect to your winery. Great content isn’t just filler for your website or social media—it’s a powerhouse tool for growing your winery’s audience, converting casual visitors into loyal wine club members, and driving revenue.  Even better, content works double-duty: it supports inbound marketing, by attracting new customers who find you organically, and outbound marketing, by amplifying your message through ads, email, and other promotional efforts. Whether you’re sharing your winemaking journey, crafting a how-to wine pairing guide, or highlighting your latest release, well-planned content is key to building your brand and boosting your sales. Here’s how to create winery content that attracts, engages, and converts your audience into loyal customers and club members. What Is Inbound Marketi