In this episode of Wine Industry Insiders, George Christie sits down with Honore Comfort, Vice President of International Marketing at Wine Institute, to explore her incredible career path, the evolving landscape of global wine trade, and how California wineries can unlock export opportunities. Honore reflects on her early days in the industry, from working at small family-run wineries to leading Sonoma County Vintners and now playing a key role in building the global reputation of California wine. She shares powerful insights on how wineries of all sizes can succeed internationally, the role of Wine Institute in policy and advocacy, and the tools available to help producers grow their reach beyond U.S. borders. Honore will be presenting at the Wine Sales Symposium on May 14 at the Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country in Santa Rosa, CA. Use promo code HONORE2025 for a discount and register at winesalessymposium.com.

Wine Sales Symposium: Media Coverage, Tasting Room/Wine Club Strategies, & Customer Growth Tactics  New Customers. Loyal Members. Boost Sales by Leveraging Media & Creating Memorable Tasting Room Experiences with Smarter Wine Sales Strategies.  Today’s wine market demands fresh thinking—whether you’re looking to expand your customer base or reimagine your wine club strategy. At this year’s Wine Sales Symposium, taking place on May 14th, you’ll get the tools and insights you need to adapt, innovate, and drive real results. Below, explore two can’t-miss sessions designed to help wineries reach new audiences, increase loyalty, and grow smarter in a shifting landscape. Getting press is only part of the equation—knowing how to turn that attention into real business impact is what sets successful brands apart. Wine media has changed, and this session will help you keep up. Join leading wine journalists and PR experts a

After navigating our client’s business and company growth during the last two roller-coaster years, I was ready for a significant break. Armed with credits from two canceled vacations and many pent-up credit card miles, I cashed in for an extended European visit in July. While there, my husband and I traveled to and stayed in four major wine-tasting regions: Alsace, Champagne, Burgundy, and the Rhine/Mosel. While there are countless and apparent differences between how France, Germany, and the US promote tourism and sell wine directly to customers, there are equal similarities if you look hard enough. As a native of Napa, wine tourism and marketing wash over me. But, on this trip, I found myself in the rare role of a focused tourist. So, I became aware of the marketing cues and delivery vehicles and noted what worked, and what didn’t.  HERE’S SOME OF WHAT I LEARNED: 1. YOU CAN’T JUDGE A BAGUETTE BY ITS CRUST. If I were to ask you to paint a picture of your idea

By Susan DeMatei In the September/October issue of Grapevine Magazine, I wrote an article entitled “The four reasons you should care about online reviews.” As a quick recap, the four reasons were: We are at the precipice of a cultural shift from Baby Boomer values (externally showing luxury as validation, including professional and published reviews and scores) to Millennial values (internal and self-validation, including being part of a community that shares your beliefs). The internet and modern eCommerce train us to look for the most popular brands and rank the highest among people (we assume) are peers. Google evaluates reviews when delivering search engine responses and ranking. Your customers care about review sites. 92% to 97% of customers look for or read a review before doing business with a company. 80% of us trust reviews by strangers just as highly as a reference from our friends. 72% of us look for only positive reviews, and 86% will not do business with those