National Top Ten Newspaper Group celebrates new Sunday Wine, Food & Travel Section “Eat, Drink, Play” by partnering with twice-annual wine lovers’ marketplace Major media market relationship boosts Bay Area wine audience
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, March 2, 2015 – With a Sunday circulation of 702,407 and growing, The San Jose Mercury News and their “Eat, Drink, Play”, wine, food and travel section have signed on as the presenting sponsors for the 2015 San Francisco Vintners Market™ held in April and November at the iconic Fort Mason Center’s Festival Pavilion. Now in it’s 6th year, the spring San Francisco Vintners Market™ will be held April 11-12, with 5,000 – 7,000 attendees at each event.
San Jose Mercury News’ ambitious new food, wine and travel coverage contains extensive wine, spirits and craft foods stories, including a weekly Winery Adventure that takes you into some of Northern California’s most appealing wineries and vineyards. “Eat, Drink, Play” has become a real go-to space for serious, and voracious, food and drink lovers both online and in print formats. San Francisco Vintners Market™, attending wineries and AVAs will be featured in the “Eat, Drink, Play,” and the Wine, Food & Travel pages of the San Jose Mercury News digital and Sunday section.
“San Francisco Vintners Market™ is elated to have The San Jose Mercury News, and “Eat, Drink, Play” join on as our presenting sponsors for the 2015 event season. As Northern California’s leading news group, we believe their added reach will help us present more great wineries, regions and brands, to a whole new group of wine lovers,” said Cornelius Geary, CEO, San Francisco Vintners Market™.
“We’re truly looking forward to this partnership, “ said Erika Brown, Marketing Director, San Jose Mercury News. “The event concept, the wonderful wineries, the tastings, and the demographic of San Francisco Vintners Market will pair perfectly with our content and audience for Eat, Drink, Play.”
Bringing The Tasting Room To The City 2 Times Per Year:
San Francisco Vintners Market™ is a twice-annual event that has hosted more than 65,000 wine consumers and trade since its inception as a one-of-a-kind farmers market in the city since 2010. With the mantra, “Try it and buy it,” the retail and tourism focused event has allowed wineries to, “bring the tasting room to the city,” where vintners can meet, market to, and sell their wine and wine club memberships to thousands of the bay area’s most knowledgeable and interested wine consumers and visitors, many of whom are on the look out for the newest, least known wines and wine regions, some right in their own back yards.
New for 2015: AVA Designations
New for the 2015 events, wineries will be aligned by their AVA designation, allowing for group messaging and visibility region to region. Winery AVA’s are encouraged to attend the event and to use it as a marketing platform for promotion of their region, wineries and any events that they in turn may be hosting throughout the year.
Wineries interested in participating in the event can find more information and register at www.sfvintnersmarket.com or by contacting Cornelius Geary via email at cornelius@sfvintnersmarket.com or via phone at 415-596-1191.
More fun facts for wineries looking to grow their customer base:
- Wineries generate more than $500,000 in retail sales and wine club memberships during the event on the market floor (In aggregate through Square app alone)
- More than 2,000 new attendees come to each event
- 500+ wine buyers from specialty stores attend the Sunday Trade Tasting
Of the over 150+ wineries that participate in each event, more than 100 have participated in 5 or more events and come back again and again, finding San Francisco Vintners Market™ to be a great place to introduce their wines and establish lasting relationships with wine lovers from all over the San Francisco Bay Area, and beyond.
About San Francisco Vintners Market™
San Francisco Vintners Market™, started in 2010, is a twice-annual farmer’s market style shopping experience where wine enthusiasts can taste wines and purchase wine direct from over 150 wineries. Attending wineries are encouraged to release new wines at the spring events and to use the fall events for holiday sales and or end of vintage opportunities.
San Francisco Vintners Market™ has a limited number of sponsor and partnership opportunities available. For more information contact: Cornelius Geary, at cornelius@sfvintnersmarket.com 415-596-1191
To participate as a winery contact:
Bridget Raymond, Director of Sales & Marketing
bridget@sfvintnersmarket.com 415-713-5331
About Firewater Partners:
San Francisco-based Firewater Partners owns and produces compelling experiential events including San Francisco Vintners Market™, (www.sfvintnersmarket.com), Craft Spirits Carnival, (www.craftspiritscarnival.com), and in 2014 they acquired Drink Me Magazine, (www.drinkmemag.com) the lifestyle and drinks publication focused on millennial readers.
