Photo by Michael Wangbickler

The more I worked on my seminar presentation, the more I realized that what I do in my everyday life is actually quite involved, and not easy to communicate to those unfamiliar with the basic principles. Even after six hours of discussion and more than 130 slides, I really only scratched the surface of where wine marketing is right now and where it is heading. In the end, I had to concentrate on what I feel are the most important tools. There was a lot I had to leave on the cutting room floor.

My audience was comprised of growers and winemakers from New Mexico and Arizona. I had the opportunity to meet a lot of great, hard-working people. Many of them ran literal Mom and Pop businesses, and were looking for ways to market their wines. About half of my audience was interested in trying new things, and a few were really excited. The other half were clearly overwhelmed. But, I truly believe that everyone took at least something away with them that they can use.

Here are a few highlights from my presentations:

• Few outside of New Mexico really knows wine is made in significant quantities there. They can’t rely on the mainstream media to help sales, and forget about high scores in Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast.
• According to recent figures, there are roughly 1,200 planted acres in New Mexico. Compared to the 526,000 acres in California alone, New Mexico is tiny. That equates to less than .23% of that produced by the big C. So, they have to deal with a lot of competition from outside the state. The good news is that they have less wine to sell, and can really focus efforts on the local market.
• Because they are so small and from a relatively unknown area, getting the attention of Retailers and Distributors will be challenging. Pursuing different channels, such as e-commerce, will be more effective for them in the end.
• In 2009, newspapers closed at an alarming rate as corporate owned community newspapers folded. Approximately 293 papers folded and 45 launched – nine of those being online or Web first. Meanwhile, major newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and Houston Chronicle, had a combined number of approximately 421 layoffs and buyouts in the newsroom alone.
• More than 600 reporters from the magazine industry alone found themselves jobless in a matter of a year. Just between Newsweek and Bloomberg’s BusinessWeek, hundreds were laid off in 2009. Meanwhile, approximately 1,126 magazines folded and publishers took a hard look at the figures, eliminating magazines that just weren’t making the grade. Among those to go were Gourmet, Cookie, Elegant Bride, Modern Bride and Domino.
• Wine communications is evolving. With the pervasive adoption of the Internet, consumers have access to more information from a greater variety of sources than ever before. Unfortunately, this is resulting in a smaller and smaller pool of on-staff journalists on which to pull. As newspapers find themselves forced to cut costs, non-essential “lifestyle” journalists are finding themselves without a job. This has hit wine writers particularly hard over the past few years.
• Peer-to-peer review is becoming more influential. More and more, people are turning to their fellow consumers for recommendations on wine rather than the “experts”. Those guys are still important, but they aren’t the only game in town anymore.
• Social media is another way to talk to current and potential customers. Like the phone or e-mail. It is just another marketing tool. It should be treated no differently than advertising, public relations, POS, etc. in terms of what strategy to follow.
• Regardless of what tactic or project they pursue, the end goals should always remain the same. The point is to build a brand and sell more wine.
• Like any marketing tool, however, social media requires education and training to be most effective. In advertising, marketers know that there are certain elements that make a good ad design. In public relations, writing an effective press release requires a certain amount of knowledge and skill with the written word. The same can be said about social media marketing. Spend the time to learn the tools and seek advice from those that know.
• There are any number of FREE online resources to learn about it. In addition, there are some very smart consultants out there that can help you build a social media strategy.
• Don’t treat social media marketing like a time waster or some oddity handled by the intern. Make it a priority and include it in your weekly or daily activities, or the activities of one of your employees.
• Like it, or not, social media is here to stay and is becoming a more effective marketing tool everyday.

If you are interested in viewing the slides I used for the seminar and presentations, send me a tweet at @mwangbickler or email at mike [at] cavemanwines [dot] com, and I’d be happy to send you a link.

Terraces, Trefethen, V. Sattui earn honors
By Michael Wangbickler
FOR THE STAR
Thursday, February 11, 2010

As cabernet is the king of reds, so chardonnay is the queen of whites in Napa Valley. Compared to cabernet which has roots in Napa well before the 20th century, chardonnay is a relative newcomer, introduced in the 1930s but only finding real popularity in the 1970s. And popular it became, rising with meteoric speed to the number one planted and drunk white wine in California.

So, what thrust chardonnay into the limelight? Certainly, first and foremost, is the praise that Napa chardonnay garnered at the 1976 Judgment of Paris, where a Napa Valley chardonnay from Chateau Montelena took top honors, beating out some of the best wines of Burgundy. Since then, winemakers have used French techniques, such as barrel fermentation, sur-lie aging, and malolactic fermentation with much success. And, of course, the general gains in wine consumption overall in the 1970s and 1980s made fruity, well-made chardonnay a natural choice for newly affluent Boomers.

It was inevitable then, that the variety’s popularity would lead to a huge market of ordinary wines, establishing a broad range in quality from the truly terrible to the awe-inspiring. This is why, perhaps, that today no other varietal wine has more passionate fans and equally vehement critics. It spawned the ABC (“Anything But Chardonnay”) drinker, and has driven some consumers to move on to other whites. Despite this, however, chardonnay remains California’s most popular white wine.

The St. Helena Star and Napa Valley Vintners Tasting Panel recently had an ABC tasting of their own. But this time, ABC meant “Anything But Carneros.” Historically, chardonnay was planted up and down the valley, but over time the Carneros region became more favored for its cooler climate. Today, most chardonnay from Napa Valley is grown in Carneros, but there are still some great wines produced from grapes harvested farther north.

During the discussion after the blind tasting, the panel as a whole expressed surprise at how well-balanced the wines were overall. As a group they expected more overripe, over-oaked, flabby wines. While some thought that there was still too much oak on the wines, others liked the oak character, and they all agreed that acidity levels in the wines were good and that alcohol levels were moderate.

The panel tasted through three different flights of wines from areas such as Oak Knoll, Spring Mountain, Pope Valley, Oakville, Yountville and Stags Leap. There was also a flight which may have had a certain percentage of Carneros fruit, but were labeled Napa Valley. Of three different flights of six wines each, these three wines topped the list:

The Terraces 2007 Napa Valley Chardonnay ($28) has fresh aromas of lemon, honeydew melon, pears, and sweet cream, with subtle notes of baking spices and toasty oak. These flavors carry through to the palate with great intensity, crisp acidity, and medium body, finishing clean with a hint of sweetness. As a group, the panel felt that this wine stood out for its balance and subtly.

Trefethen Family Vineyards 2007 Oak Knoll Chardonnay ($30) exhibits aromas of apple, pear, peach, guava, lemon custard, roasted nuts, caramel, and vanilla; a balanced wine with a creamy mouthfeel, bright acidity, and soft texture, finishing with some length. Chardonnay is what established Trefethen as one of the great Napa estates, when their chardonnay earned the title of “Best Chardonnay in the World” at the Gault-Millau Wine Olympics in Paris.

The V. Sattui Winery 2007 Yountville Chardonnay ($26) displays aromas of honeysuckle, lemon curd, cream, and honey with a kiss of toasty oak. On the palate, the wine has good balance, with weighty texture, finishing crisp and clean. The fruit for this wine comes off their estate property, Carsi Vineyard, in the southern reaches of Yountville.

Great Napa chardonnay doesn’t have to be from Carneros. There are pockets within the valley that have the ideal conditions to grow this classic burgundian variety.

The panelists included Hugh Davies, Schramsberg; Chris Phelps, Swanson Vineyards; Nate Page, Terraces Vineyards; John Skupny, Lang & Reed; Mitch Cosentino, Cosentino Winery; Brett deLeuze, ZD Wines; Stefan Blicker, BP Wine; St. Helena resident Shannon Kuleto; and Julie Crafton, Napa Valley Vintners.

(Michael Wangbickler is the executive director of the Academy of Wine Communications and currently holds the position of account manager at Balzac Communications and Marketing in Napa. He holds a diploma in Wine & Spirits (DWS) from London-based Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) and is a Certified Wine Educator (CWE). The wines tasted were provided by member wineries of the Napa Valley Vintners, the nonprofit trade association representing nearly 400 wineries. Not all wines submitted are tasted. Many wineries offer local residents discounts on their wines through the Napa Neighbor program, www.napavintners.com/programs and click on Napa Neighbor to learn more.)

A link to the article can be found here.

By now, you should know that I am a big supporter of the local wine (and food) movement. This year, the DrinkLocalWine.com conference will be held in Virginia, shining a spot light on the state’s burgeoning wine industry. I am planning on attending if I can swing it. I’ll report back with any special insights.

Below is a copy of the announcement:

DrinkLocalWine.com will hold its second annual conference April 24-26, 2010, in Loudoun County, Va. The event, presented by the Virginia Wine Board, will focus on the diversity and quality of the 157 wineries in The Old Dominion.

“The Virginia Wine Board is pleased to sponsor the second annual Drink Local Wine Conference,” says Rock Stephens, the wine board chairman. “In 1979, Virginia had only six wineries and today we have well over 150. From the Shenandoah to Jefferson’s Monticello to George Washington’s birthplace to Virginia’s Eastern Shore, we are proud of the diversity and quality of wines produced in Virginia and look forward to providing attendees the opportunity to experience, as well as, sample some of our outstanding vintages.”

The conference, which is open to the public, will feature some of foremost wines in Virginia and Maryland, the top winemakers and growers, and the region’s leading sommeliers. In addition, some of the best wine bloggers and writers in the country will attend.

DLW 2010 will include three panel discussions focusing on issues unique to Virginia and regional wine – its grapes and terroir, how the state’s winemakers have used social media to advance their cause, and why local wine should be part of the local food movement. There will also be a Virginia Twitter Tasteoff, where participants will be able to blog or Twitter about the wines they’re tasting. Admission is $65, which includes the three panels, lunch, and the Twitter Taste-off.

Virginia is the fifth-largest wine producing state in the country, and the state has made important strides in the past decade in producing world-class Chardonnay, Viognier, Cabernet Franc and red Bordeaux blends.

DLW 2010 follows the success of DrinkLocalWine.com’s first conference in Dallas in 2009, which featured Texas wine and sold out within days. DLW also holds an annual Regional Wine Week in October, in which more than 40 wine bloggers, writers and columnists from the U.S. and Canada write about their favorite regional wines, ranging from Ontario to New York to Florida to Texas to Colorado.

DrinkLocalWine.com’s goal is to spotlight wine made in the 47 states and Canada that aren’t California, Washington, and Oregon. It’s the brainchild of Washington Post wine columnist Dave McIntyre and wine blogger Jeff Siegel, the Wine Curmudgeon.

Other conference sponsors are Landsdowne Resort, Tuscarora at the Mill and Magnolias at the Mill.
For information or to register, call (978) 276-9463 or send an email.

Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher

No official word has been given as to WHY they will no longer be writing their column for the WSJ. Speculation by Alder Yarrow on his blog and Gil Kulers in his weekly newsletter, suggest that the blame lies squarely at the feet of the Internet and its ilk. They are probably right. The shift from paid subscriptions to free content, as well as the fragmentation of media in general is making it harder and harder for traditional outlets to support a viable business model. While I think the advent of blogs and wine social networks is a great influence overall on the expansion of wine appreciation, I can’t help by mourn the loss of so many experienced, knowledgeable, and credible wine writers/critics.

A few writers have adjusted to the current environment by launching websites and blogs themselves, but their is justified concern on how they will be able to continue a career in wine writing. When there are so many outlets that provide free content, how is the professional wine writer to survive? A few have even crossed over to the other side (Alan Goldfarb for example) and have begun working for wineries promoting their wines to other writers and bloggers.

What’s the bottom line? Right now, the world of wine writing is a mixed up jumble of print and online content with everyone scrambling to figure out how to make it all work. It is up to all of us wine communications and marketing professionals to rally behind these writers and help them succeed. If you haven’t already, check out the Academy of Wine Communications. The AWC was founded for this very purpose years ago, and we have come full circle. 2010 should be a very interesting year for wine communications. Hold on to your seats, because it is likely to be a bumpy ride.

Before some wackos decided to fly some planes into some very important buildings, air travelers used to be able to carry on wine. I miss those days. It was so much simpler. For a time, I used to check through a case or two of wine, until the airlines decided to charge crazy fees for checked baggage. So, that leaves me with one option: stash a bottle or two in my suitcase. This, however, is always fraught with the danger of the bottle breaking and ruining your clothes.

So, this year I’ll be trying the WineDiaper. The product is a simple concept, but ingenious nonetheless. It’s basically a plastic bag, lined with absorbent padding on the inside. So, it serves two purposes: protecting the bottle from breakage and in the event that fails, it absorbs the wine so that it doesn’t leak. It’s not guaranteed to work, but it would certainly be a good bit of insurance against disaster. So, crossing my fingers, I head into another holiday season.

Disclaimer: I received two WineDiapers as media samples.

Answer: Price it at $10, give is a modern package, put it in the hands of the Gallo marketing machine, and stand back.

I love Riesling, but it’s damn hard as a wine marketer to get consumers to take it seriously. Especially if it’s from Germany. Try selling a Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatllese or a Nackenheimer Rothenberg Riesling Trockenbeerenaulese to the average American consumer. Yea, no wonder people don’t get it. Add to that, the plonk sold under the Liebfraumilch label through the 70s and 80s, and it’s easy to understand why most consumers think of Riesling as sweet, uninteresting kool-aid wine.

This is why I dig the Polka Dot Riesling, an E.J. Gallo import from the Pfalz region of Germany. No funky wood-block label or unreadable names. It is a clean, simple, modern package with a blue bottle and screwcap finish. Basically, it pays homage to the Riesling of old (i.e. Blue Nun, though that was mostly Muller-Thurgau) but with a modern taste profile. It isn’t the kind of Riesling that you are going to ooohh and ahhhh over it its complexity. Only 10.5% alcohol makes it very easy to drink. It’s simply delicious with huge QPR at $10 per bottle.

Traditional review: Aromas of granny smith apple, asian pear, wet gravel, and honeysuckle leading to a soft, slightly sweet palate and crisp acidity. It has a relatively long finish.

Disclosure: This wine was sent to me as a sample.

1. There are additional factors that can affect the price of the wines. In fact, just about everything is more expensive in Napa. They have highly paid winemakers (some celebrities) and cellar staff. Vineyard workers are generally paid more in Napa. Napa winemakers are more willing to use costly techniques like harvesting by hand, at night. Vineyard plots are typically smaller than elsewhere, so they don’t have economies of scale. Napa makes predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, which requires barrel aging and more Napa winemakers use very expensive French Oak. I’m sure I’ve missed a few.
2. Quality is subjective. Many would argue that they use the highest methods of quality control and quality materials. Are these wines flawed? No. Just because you don’t like a certain style of wine, doesn’t make it lower quality.
3. The fact is, unless they are selling all their wines direct-to-consumer, a winery only makes about 5% profit on a bottle of wine. 5%!!! Most of the cost of the wine goes to taxes, wholesaler markup, and retailer/restaurant markup. For a small winery that produces maybe 10,000 cases a year, 5% on a $100 bottle is a lot more sustainable than 5% on $20.
4. A very small percentage of all wine made in California comes from Napa, only about 4%. Yet there are over 400 wineries there. That makes for a lot of boutique, artisan producers with small 20-acre parcels or purchasing grapes to make wine. So, in essence, you are paying for small-lot, hand-crafted wines, which by default are more expensive that those mass produced.

I can’t deny that there are some wineries in Napa that are gaming the system. But, really, most are just trying to make a go at it. In this economy, if a winery can’t deliver on the promises their prices make, they won’t last long. Yes, there are plenty of wines that are great and less expensive. But, there are great small, family-run wineries making small-lots of outstanding wine.

Which brings me back to Haber Family Vineyards. My arguement is particularly poignant in their case. Currently, they make two Cabernet Sauvignons, one from Diamond Mountain (380 cases) and one from Howell Mountain (50 cases). That’s not a lot of wine, and it costs a lot of money to grow grapes on these two mountains. The suggested retail price for their wines is roughly $80 per bottle. Are they price gouging? Hardly. Ron and Sue-Marie will be lucky to break-even. Very lucky. But, they love Napa and love wine, and do it because they love it.

A group of us bloggers sat down with Ron and Sue-Marie at their Howell Mountain summer home to try their first release and enjoy some lunch. The wine tried was the 2006 Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine shows how good mountain cabs can be. Inky and intense, it exhibited aromas of blackberry, cassis, chocolate, mint, and toasty oak. It showed that earthy, limestone character that seems to me to make Diamond Mountain cabs unique. Firm tannins and balance acidity round it out. Loooooonnggg finish. I expect that this wine will age quite well for years. In my humble opinion, the wine is well worth the price.

There are dozens of wine brands from Napa in similar positions to Haber Family. They do it, because they love it and produce excellent wines. I think they deserve a fair shake.

I’d like to thank Ron and Sue-Marie for hosting us at their place. It was an enjoyable afternoon and the spread they put out was fantastic.

1. What are your goals? Why do you want a blog? What will it be about? Do you have a clear understanding of the benefits of having one? Your blog will be doomed to failure if you don’t have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish. Set down a plan of action and follow it. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but you should ast least have an end goal in mind.
2. What is the subject? What’s it about? Why would people want to read it? There are over 1000 wine blogs in existence and many of those are winery blogs. You will need to differentiate yourselves from them. If you wish to pull in new readers, you need a compelling story and your posts should be interesting.
3. How often will you post? Blogs live or die by content. The more you produce, the more often readers will come back. The most successful blogs post articles at least once per day. That is a lot of content to generate. On average, I’d say that winery blogs post much less, but it should still be two to three times per week. Do you have that much to say? I know any number of blogs that have died, because they run out of gas after a few months, and reality sets in.
4. Who is going to write it? A blog takes time away from other activities. If you are a winemaker, manager, president, etc., is crafting a blog the best use of your time? On average, I spend about 1 to 2 hours on a blog post. Sometimes more (like that last monster), and sometimes less. Does that sound like something you can do four to seven days a week?
5. How will you promote it? Blogs are not Fields of Dreams. If you build it, they won’t necessarily come (I wonder if the producers of that film had any idea how much it would be used as a marketing analogy for years to come, but I digress). You need to promote your blog, so that people can find you. SEO is only one part of the equation. You need to integrate promotion of the blog in all your marketing efforts. List it on sell sheets, link it to your website, send emails to your customer list, include info in your wine club shipments or newsletters, and leverage other social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter.
6. How will you measure it? How do you know that your efforts are bearing fruit? Or, how do you know how to make adjustments? How does this fit in with your goals? Through measurement, you will have a clear idea of how many people are reading your posts and visiting your site. It is easy to gather this kind of data through Google Analytics or Compete.

If you can’t answer all the questions and address the issues I’ve listed here, then maybe you aren’t ready for a blog.

Starting a winery blog should not be taken lightly. Do your homework, put down some goals, and stick to the plan. That is how to launch and maintain a successful winery blog.