Let’s be honest: There’s a certain magic to pouring wine in your own tasting room—the clink of glasses, the sunlight through the vines, the laughter echoing off the barrel room walls. But what if you could bottle that magic and uncork it anywhere in the world? Today’s top-performing wineries aren’t just waiting for guests to walk through their doors. They’re packing their corkscrews and passports, finding their biggest fans where they live, work, and play—from the next city over to the far side of the globe. Welcome to the golden age of wine roadshows—and, now, globetrotting wine adventures! Why Travel? Because Wine Is About Connection Wine is the ultimate connector. It brings people together and creates memories, whether it’s a backyard BBQ in Austin or a sunset dinner on the Amalfi Coast. Your most devoted club members and best customers crave those connections—and they’re hungry (and thirsty) for experiences that go b

Like any other industry, the wine industry is cyclical. What goes around tends to come back around. And what can we learn from those trends—besides the fact that leg warmers were never cool, even in the ’80s? Wine hospitality began with casual, bar-style tastings—one host, multiple guests, and a quick pour-and-go approach. Over time, we introduced more educational options: tours, guided tastings, and eventually, more intimate seated experiences. Then came the pandemic. It acted as a litmus test for tasting room strategy and showed—on a large scale—that time with guests matters. More time meant greater satisfaction, higher wine sales, and more club signups. The reservation model also revealed something powerful: those who took the time to book were more intentional. They came to taste and to buy. And the ROI of seated, guided experiences reflected that. Fast-forward five years, and many tasting rooms now default to seated tastings. But… is the pendul

Can you believe it’s March? Soon rain will abate, buds will break, and Q2 will be here before we know it along with, hopefully, tourists. This blog starts by summarizing a recent Forbes study about travel plans this year, and then we wrap up with a summary of some trends we think you can build upon this year. Will the political climate once again hijack all of America’s attention and make people wary of venturing out? Or will it be more likely to scare us to other countries for a respite abroad? If tasting room traffic is down this year as it was last year, it is even more important to know what consumers are looking for in the hopes of developing programs consumers want. The smart winery will be continually testing different experiences this year to try and attract the right customer to their brand. This blog starts summarizing a recent Forbes study about travel plans this year, and then we wrap up with a summary of some of the trends we think you can build upon this year

TRENDS SHAPING TRAVEL IN 2024 Can you believe it’s summer? Soon Memorial Day will be here before we know it along with, hopefully, tourists. This blog starts by summarizing a recent Forbes study about travel plans this year, and then we wrap up with a summary of some trends we think you can build upon this year. Will the political climate once again hijack all of America’s attention and make people wary of venturing out? Or will it be more likely to scare us to other countries for a respite abroad? If tasting room traffic is down this year as it was last year, it is even more important to know what consumers are looking for in the hopes of developing programs consumers want. The smart winery will be continually testing different experiences this year to try and attract the right customer to their brand. This blog starts summarizing a recent Forbes study about travel plans this year, and then we wrap up with a summary of some of the trends we think you can build upon this y

Afternoon Brief, April 24th

Is the Industry Ready for CBD Wine?: CBD wine, which combines the properties of CBD with traditional wine, has been forecast to see “explosive growth” in the next few years...

Afternoon Brief, April 15th

North Bay Wine Growers Are Having a Tough Year, as Cheap Bulk Imports Increase: April 2024 marks Sonoma County Wine Month, a celebration of Sonoma County's rich wine heritage, yet local winegrowers are seeing declining wine sales and grape sales...

Go “Behind the Cellar Door” with One of Amador Wine Country’s Most Popular Events  

A Limited Amount of Media Passes are available for qualified Trade & Media (January 12, 2024, Plymouth, California) The Amador Vintners Association announces its signature passport event, Behind the Cellar […]

Foxen Canyon Wine Trail’s Christmas on the Trail Passport Event Returns This December

Santa Ynez Valley, CA (November 21, 2023) — The Foxen Canyon Wine Trail, which represents and supports wineries and tasting rooms on and around Foxen Canyon Road in the Santa […]

Laughlin Loop Announces Holiday Edition of Wine Tastings in Northern Willamette Valley 

A December Collaboration of Eight Wineries in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA Welcomes Guests to Unforgettable Holiday Experiences in this Unique Region  Yamhill, OR (November 2, 2023) Eight wineries in the northern […]