Hard to believe, we are a quarter of the way through 2025! It seems like just yesterday we were starting 2025, but here we are, 90 days in to the "new" year. Here are a few things you may have missed, things that caught our eye (or ear), and a few actionable ideas for the next quarter. 2024 Annual Report Card - WISE Mystery Shopping Triple Score In early 2025, we released our Annual Triple Score Report Card. While Mystery Shopping covers over 75 criteria points, these three are perhaps the most important. How often are our Mystery Shoppers asked buy wine, how often are they warmly invited to join the wine club, and how often are they asked to keep in touch via joining the mailing list? In 2024, we saw a dramatic decline in Triple Score averages. In particular, data collection is critically low at just 18%—meaning we’re only asking fewer than one in five guests to keep the conversation going. Wine clubs work because people DO like to be part of them (did you know

Lactic Acid Bacteria - Friend or Foe? Our upcoming winemaking handbook is almost here and features several new articles, including one on Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB). Check out the full article on our website or read on for a preview. READ ARTICLE ALWAYS PRESENT...  This article was inspired by questions we regularly receive about interpreting microbial analysis. Lactic acid bacteria are easy to ignore as they are omnipresent in wine and wineries; however, they can create off-odors and flavors, even in dry wines.  As seen above, sugars and malic acid aren’t the only compounds lactic acid bacteria can metabolize. They can use citric acid, ethanol, and more.  ... BUT NOT ALWAYS HARMLESS Oenococcus oeni  An ally most of the time, Oenococcus can pose risks if not properly managed after malolactic fermentation. Lactobacillus spp.  Often most problematic during stuck fermentations or in high pH environments where they can quickly create off-odors and flavor

IT’S TIME TO FACE FACTS BY SUSAN DEMATEI Maybe it is because my father was a published cell biologist, but I find neuromarketing fascinating. This field is dedicated to looking at biological and developmental triggers engrained deep in our evolution that considerably influences how we respond to marketing and branding. And it’s all based on fact and science. A great example of this would be why ads with faces perform better. Countless eye-tracking studies and recall and memory tests conclude that we typically remember and have a positive association with ads containing people.   Why? Because as babies, on day one, we look at faces, and as we develop into adults, we rely on faces to look for cues in our perception. Indeed, most animals grow up taking cues from others when the situation is dangerous, calm, funny, or solemn. It is likely because physiological recognition of faces comes from a different area of the brain than recognition of words, or shapes/visuals. (Hos

Plus 5 ways forward-looking wine brands can use audio to stay relevant to younger consumers. Guest post from Lawrence Francis, founder of Interpreting Wine I often think about podcasting as a hidden revolution.  Perhaps because 92% of us listen to podcasts alone, it’s not an activity that drives Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) that other social media channels do with their explicitly displayed popularity scores in the form of play and like counts. Just as surprising for me was discovering that 34% of us listen to podcasts as the main activity, rather than listening while doing something else. Dispelling the myth that we only listen to podcasts when we’re doing something else, such as working out or commuting. These two stats taken together suggest podcast audiences are uniquely engaged with the content they are consuming, with the possible exception of a big Netflix breakout series or the latest Marvel blockbuster; but then again those cost big bucks to produce and promote

Listen in as our panel provides actionable tips and thoughtful advice on how to make the new year one of your brand’s most sales-worthy! After the highs and lows of the past two years, many of us in the wine industry have come to expect the unexpected. In this panel discussion, guests reveal what your winery can do in 2022 to make gains when it comes to sales and marketing impact.  Hear from Lawrence Francis from Interpreting Wine, Justinian Brock from Vinosmith, and Simon Solis-Cohen of Highway 29 Creative in this On the Spot replay. Let’s get inspired to move the needle in the new year. Get the replay here.

Listen in as our panel provides actionable tips and thoughtful advice on how to make the new year one of your brand’s most sales-worthy! After the highs and lows of the past two years, many of us in the wine industry have come to expect the unexpected. In this panel discussion, guests reveal what your winery can do in 2022 to make gains when it comes to sales and marketing impact.  Hear from Lawrence Francis from Interpreting Wine, Justinian Brock from Vinosmith, and Simon Solis-Cohen of Highway 29 Creative in this On the Spot replay. Let’s get inspired to move the needle in the new year. Get the replay here.