Ten Ways Wineries Can Evolve From Selling Bottles to Creating Experiences That Resonate With a New Generation. If I told you a winery just opened with no vineyard, no winemaker on staff, and no interest in talking about terroir… would you visit? What if I told you it had a silent disco in the barrel room, a drag brunch series, and a 3-month waitlist for a zero-proof pairing menu? Those wineries exist. And they’re thriving. Because for a new generation of visitors, the wine isn’t the reason—it’s the reward. It’s not about what you pour anymore. It’s about how you make people feel. And we used to excel at this. But then we woke up one day… and it wasn’t working like it used to. The same offers stopped converting. The same messages started falling flat. The same visitors didn’t come back. And it’s not because we got worse at what we do. It’s because the customer changed. What they want. How they behave. Where t

Explore the Science, Strategy, and Sensory Experience of Winemaking at WIN Expo Three forward-thinking sessions. One essential destination for winemakers. Today’s winemakers are navigating a new era of production - where innovation, precision, and consumer-driven values are shaping the future of the cellar. At this year’s WIN Expo, the Winemaking Conference Sessions, sponsored by Enartis, explore next-generation techniques and tools through a dynamic mix of expert insights, real-world case studies, and guided tastings. From alternative fining agents and sulfite-free protocols to thiol management and aromatic expression, each session is designed to equip you with practical knowledge to meet evolving challenges and craft wines with purpose and precision. Clarifying the Future of Fining: Comparing Plant-Based and Traditional Fining Agents in Winemaking With growing pressure to produce wines that are both sustainable and allergen-conscious, the use of plant-based fining agent

Over the past few years, wineries have seen tasting room visits decline as consumer habits shift. With more options than ever, visitors are looking for something special—experiences that go beyond just sampling wine. For many wineries, this means rethinking how they engage guests and creating a place people want to come back to. This guide explores how wineries across the country are turning their tasting rooms into destinations—balancing local charm, modern convenience, and genuine hospitality. Create Unique, Social Experiences In today’s market, wineries that stand out provide more than just a tasting—they create memorable, shareable experiences that make guests want to stay longer and come back. Enhancing the Atmosphere with Music: Music adds energy and can make an ordinary tasting feel like an event. Hosting live music, whether it’s a local band or acoustic performer, brings people together and keeps them engaged. Many wineries schedule music on weeke

Early Bird Pricing Starts Now Through End of September Wine Industry Network has opened registration for the 13th Annual North Coast Wine Industry Trade Show & Conference (WIN Expo), scheduled for Thursday, December 4th, 2025, at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds and Event Center in Santa Rosa, CA. WIN Expo is the largest trade show and conference focused exclusively on the Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Lake County wine regions. The Expo has become THE year-end business and networking event for North Coast wine industry professionals to celebrate the success and achievements of the past year, reconnect with colleagues, foster new connections, and prepare for a thriving 2026. The event is set to include nearly 300 exhibitors showcasing the latest products and services as well as outdoor exhibits, trial tastings on the trade show floor and a robust educational conference.  “The WIN Expo continues to be a cornerstone event for the North Coast wine industry,” said George Chr

Registration is open for the 13th Annual WIN EXPO Trade Show & Conference Discover new tools, learn from experts, and reconnect with peers at the North Coast's premier wine industry event The North Coast Wine Industry Expo (WIN Expo) returns for its 13th year and registration is officially open! As the largest trade show and conference dedicated to the North Coast wine regions, WIN Expo has become the year-end business and networking event for professionals across Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, and Lake Counties. Nearly 300 exhibitors will showcase the latest products and services, alongside outdoor exhibits, trial tastings, and a robust educational conference. It’s a full day of discovery, learning, and connection, then still home in time for dinner. This year’s conference sessions include: Cultivating a Timeless Wine Brand in Changing Times Drinking from the Data Hose: How Wineries Sort Through the Information Masses to Identify Impactful Insights The AgTech Investmen

At WineSpot, we set out to solve the customer service challenges that winery teams face every day — especially during wine club season. ⏳ Wine swap requests 📦 “Where’s my shipment?” emails 🚫 Last-minute address changes or cancellations 📞 Voicemail overload These moments create stress for lean teams and often delay service for your best customers. That’s why we started by building deep integrations with two platforms that are already powering the modern DTC winery: 🍇  Commerce7: Flexible, Open, Built for Action Commerce7 is one of the most advanced and winery-friendly platforms in the industry — and we love working with it. Thanks to its clean API and real-time data access, WineSpot can do more than just reply to questions. It can act — instantly and accurately. From wine club edits to tracking shipments, WineSpot executes tasks directly in your Commerce7 environment, following your rules and preferences. ✅ No ticketing sys

Wednesday, December 04 North Coast Wine Industry Expo - WIN Expo   Thursday, December 5, 2024 - Santa Rosa, CA The WIN Expo is the largest trade show and conference focused on Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake counties, and is the 2nd largest wine industry show in North America with nearly 300 exhibitors, 14 conference sessions and 7 trial tastings. This exhibitor guide is designed to help you find exhibitors with the products and services most relevant to you. Scroll down and browse by category.   Featured Exhibitors   Efficiency at Every Step: Clevertech's Automated Solutions for Wineries Lost in the Compliance Maze? Let DH Wine Compliance Guide You Through TAC-Box by HotSpot AG: Transforming Vineyard Operations with Smart Solutions Turrentine Brokerage: 50 Years of Excellence and Reliability in the Wine Industry Say Goodbye to Manual Irrigation - Discover Verdi's Automation Solutions Achieve Your Winery's Green Goals with Veritiv&

One impact of global warming is warmer growing seasons and heat waves that result in slightly higher alcohol content and more ripe, concentrated flavors. Growers often leave red grapes on the vine longer to build deeper color, richer tannins, and more intense, complex flavors. The downside of this solution is that it can shift the wine profile toward prune or jammy characteristics while losing the fresh fruit notes. The loss of these aromatic notes may make the wine less appealing to consumers, as there is a rising preference for freshness, illustrated by the growing trend toward drinking white wines.  That freshness factor can be attributed to thiols, which play a significant role in the aromatic intensity of red wines. Recent studies, including research conducted by the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) in 2019, have shown that red wines, like whites and rosés, contain thiols. These compounds, particularly 3MH (mercaptoethanol), bring freshness and notes

Trial Wine Tastings, Free Workshops, Networking Socials, and MORE at WIN EXPO Expanded Event Attractions & Features at the 12th Annual WIN EXPO Trade Show & Conference WIN Expo has become THE year-end event for North Coast wine industry professionals to come and celebrate the successes and achievements of the past year, reconnect with colleagues, foster new connections, and prepare for a thriving 2025. The WIN Expo features a robust conference focusing on four distinct tracks, Production & Winemaking, Sales & Marketing, Strategy & Leadership, and Vineyard & Growers, providing winery attendees with current information and education to help overcome the challenges of the times. Trial Wine Tasting Stations! The new exhibit hall trial tastings program features complimentary wine tastings that explore how different products and methods affect wine outcomes. These trials are unique to the Exhibit Hall Floor and are separate from any Conference Session Trials. Le

Over the past few years, wineries have seen tasting room visits decline as consumer habits shift. With more options than ever, visitors are looking for something special—experiences that go beyond just sampling wine. For many wineries, this means rethinking how they engage guests and creating a place people want to come back to. This guide dives into fresh ideas to help your winery stand out, turning it into a destination where visitors feel welcome, excited, and connected to what you offer. Create Unique, Social Experiences In today’s market, wineries that stand out provide more than just a tasting—they create memorable, shareable experiences that make guests want to stay longer and come back. Enhancing the Atmosphere with Music: Music adds energy and can make an ordinary tasting feel like an event. Hosting live music, whether it’s a local band or acoustic performer, brings people together and keeps them engaged. Many wineries schedule music on weekends to attr