Spending a weekend sipping superb wines while savoring the perfect food pairing sounds like heaven. Add in breathtaking scenery and the relaxing ambiance of Sonoma County’s Wine Country, and now you have paradise perfected! This magical wine and food weekend becomes reality on November 1st and 2nd as the Wine Road hosts the 27th annual Wine & Food Affair. A Sneak Peek at the Food Pairings With 50 wineries to select from, there are too many food pairings to list, so here are just a few highlights. If you love Italian-based comfort food, check out: Mushroom and Winter Squash Risotto at Pedroncelli Winery Lobster Ravioli with Vodka Sauce at Pech Merle Winery Tatiana’s Famous Lasagna at Colagrossi Wines If you’d rather pair Mexican, French or Cajun with delicious wines, here are some options: Roger’s Colorado Pork Green Chili at J. Cage Cellars Creamy Mushroom Chicken Facon Grand Mère at GC Lurton Vineyards Alison’s Jambalaya at Mat

Listen to this article! By acting environmentally and socially responsible today, we give future generations a healthy place to call home. The actions that you as an individual take have an impact. The summer months bring more staff and guests into tasting rooms across the country. Invite your whole team to join in your brand’s sustainability efforts when you practice these 5 Sustainable Tasting Room Habits. 5 Sustainable Tasting Room Habits   Tip #1: Conserve Simple actions like completely shutting off water faucets after use and notifying management of leaks help to conserve this limited resource. Turning lights and appliances off when not in use reduces electricity use. Although the commercial end-use energy sector uses the smallest amount of energy of the four sectors (transportation [36%], industrial [35%], residential [16%], commercial [13%]), the majority of the energy used comes from fossil fuels (EIA.gov, 2022). Small efforts in the workplace reduc

Harvest Wine Trail BY WINE ROAD NORTHERN SONOMA COUNTY Sonoma County, CA Get out and explore along the Wine Road, check out some new wineries, visit your long-time favorites and stock up on some of your favorite wines for the fall. Each winery will pour two or three wines for each ticket holder. Click Here to Learn More

Get out and explore along the Wine Road, check out some new wineries, visit your long-time favorites and stock up on some of your favorite wines for Spring. Each winery will pour two or three wines for each ticket holder. Order your ticket online, then show it on your phone at each winery you visit for the day. This is a casual walk-in tasting, not a food-pairing.  Plan to visit 3-4 wineries for the day. https://www.wineroad.com/events/springwinetrail/

Get out and explore along the Wine Road, check out some new wineries, visit your long-time favorites and stock up on some of your favorite wines for Spring. Each winery will pour two or three wines for each ticket holder. Order your ticket online, then show it on your phone at each winery you visit for the day. This is a casual walk-in tasting, not a food-pairing.  Plan to visit 3-4 wineries for the day. https://www.wineroad.com/events/springwinetrail/

Get out and explore along the Wine Road, check out some new wineries, visit your long-time favorites and stock up on some of your favorite wines for Spring. Each winery will pour two or three wines for each ticket holder. Order your ticket online, then show it on your phone at each winery you visit for the day. This is a casual walk-in tasting, not a food-pairing.  Plan to visit 3-4 wineries for the day. https://www.wineroad.com/events/springwinetrail/

Does your staff know what it means to be SIP Certified sustainable? Sustainability is being talked about more and more these days, but we often hear from our members that they don’t always know how to communicate sustainability effectively. When it comes to customers, while 7 out of 10 US adults prioritize purchasing food with a sustainability component, one-fourth of these individuals can’t actually articulate sustainability. The good news is, research shows that understanding what makes a wine sustainable can increase sales! This creates the prefect educational opportunity. So, we created a training module to help your team: Learn what sustainability really means in the wine industry. Identify 7 specific ways YOUR brand practices sustainability. Share this knowledge with your customers to increase sales. Since this training was created to be specific to your brand, we encourage you to invite your viticulturalist, winemaker, general manager, and anyone else who is familia

221: Future Proof Your Wine Business |with Omnichannel Communication While the tradition of wine is still important to how we connect with customers, the way that we communicate has changed. David Avrin, President of The Customer Experience Advantage explains why brands must have an omnichannel approach to their customer communication. Identify which channels are most valuable to your business by defining your core audience. Then find out what they watch, what they read, and where they recreate. Use these insights to harness the technology that your customers use whether it’s snail mail or TikTok. David reminds us that there is no shame in not being comfortable with technology but there is no excuse to not work with a technology native who does understand the platforms that best reach your audience. LISTEN IN Resources:         82: Getting to Know Your Wine Customer 85: It‘s Time for New Wine Sales Strategies 98: Selling Wine in Non-Traditional Channels

Join us for the 46th Barrel Tasting Weekend!  TICKET SALES END FEBRUARY 26 Tickets, Participating Wineries, more information here:  https://www.wineroad.com/events/barrel-tasting-weekends/

Tickets on sale through February 26th, buy them here!