Social Media and Selling Wine

"Everybody" says social media channels are the way to promote your wine today. Well, not exactly. It's not the only way you should be promoting your brand and maybe not even the most important.

Napa's Age Problem

  Napa has a problem similar to Buick's. Huh? Buick was traditionally an old people's car. Something you bought when you retired. The marketing folks at Buick have always worried about their customer base dying off so they tried to invent ways to attract younger buyers.

California's Wine Glut

California is now in a too much wine in the pipeline status. What's the mean for the buyer? In general, too much product means lower prices until the demand catches up. How does that work with wine?

39 Years in Sonoma County

Since the mid-1970s the Sonoma County Harvest Fair, including a big wine judging and public tasting, has taken place on the first weekend in October. Coincidentally, my wife and I moved to Santa Rosa on Harvest Fair weekend of 1980.

The Biggest Change in Wine Styles

The California wine revolution began in the 1970s. By the '80s Napa and Sonoma were in high growth mode. Then it spread south to many other areas of coastal California and even to Lodi in the Central Valley and the Sierra Foothills. Early on it was the move from jug wine blends to Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon then to other wines like Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and rosé. But the biggest change? Alcohol levels.

Things To Know About Sonoma County

When you visit somewhere new it's always nice to be prepared. Because, you know, Sonoma County ain't like Dallas or Chicago or... So here are a few items you may not know about or be flat out wrong about when it comes to Sonoma County's version of wine country.

Harvest Fair Winners

The Sonoma County Harvest Fair winners can be found here. This post is about my winners from the fair. Of course, I only tried a small sampling of the couple hundred wines available--and only red wines.

The Rise and Fall of the Sonoma County Harvest Fair

Told to you by someone who has attended most of them. A sad tale of glory to bust.

Cabernet Ain't What It Used to Be

I ain't what I used to be either, but that's off-topic. The story here is that many wines aren't grown or made the same as they were a few decades ago. Maybe that's progress. Cabernet Sauvignon is the poster child for the changes that started in the 1990s in California--more specifically in Napa Valley.

When We Almost Lost Wine

Following is an article on the history of a little aphid, called phylloxera, that could have wiped out Europe's great vineyards in the 19th century. This bug is still a problem as it caused major damage to Napa Valley and other nearby regions in the 1980s. It still shows up occasionally in California and Oregon vineyards.

The Bio Hack That Saved Europe's Vineyards

A Quick Primer on Premium Wine Marketing

How do the marketing experts sell you expensive, luxury, premium wine? Status, otherwise known as snob appeal. When you can find great wines for half, or a quarter, of the price you have to take lessons from the like of Mercedes-Benz and Rolex. It's an emotional purchase, not logical, for people who are convinced they have arrived. So, you know, showing off.
That is all.  :)

Trends in Drinking

When Americans drink alcohol what is the preferred beverage -- beer, wine or spirits? Over the years the three have gotten closer together in percentage.

Gallup Poll. Margin of error +/- 3%
Click on graph to enlarge

The beer line shows a significant drop, with a gain by wine, until the craft beer movement kicked into gear where both leveled off. Spirits have held pretty steady over the years. However, spirits have been making a bit of noise over the past couple years at the expense of both beer and wine, but it's too early to know if it's a trend.