August 31, 2018
If you’ve ever struggled to help your creative stand out, to craft a unique and authentic brand voice, only to realize it could be true of a dozen other wine brands - it’s possible you’re focused on the...
August 30, 2018
The Nose Knows with Wine
I once heard a sports car aficionado guy say-if a car looks sleek today it will probably be impressive forever. Maybe, when it comes to sleek aromas in wine-a great aroma experience...
August 30, 2018
The second in a series on improving your standing with your distributors
In our last article (Winning Distributor Attention), we began a journey of discussing the importance of and challenges in understanding...
August 27, 2018
One of our biggest learnings, and something we hear time and time again, is that winery owners and winemakers believe that if they make good wine, the rest will follow and they will achieve financial...
August 23, 2018
Wineries and family business go hand-in-hand since most smaller wineries are family owned and operated. As we know, not all wineries approach the industry in the same way and they are all at different...
August 15, 2018
Here is my harvest checklist so you can rest easy
Every year we all find ourselves in the same boat. We ramp up, try to mentally prepare for what is about to come, remember what we’ve done in years past...
August 6, 2018
There are over nine thousand wineries in the US selling countless brands. Pushing this ocean of product through the chaos of a quickly changing and ever-consolidating distribution network poses monumental...
June 26, 2018
Believe Everything You Hear!
A quick search of the internet for information on the influence of sound on people’s sense of taste turns up countless studies examining this phenomenon and all come to a...
June 19, 2018
Only three percent of the wine grapes grown in California are grown at altitudes above 1,000 feet in elevation with some of the most uniquely fascinating wines sharing a common characteristic, volcanic...
June 6, 2018
Recent political developments in Europe have had a significant impact on the value of the Euro, with exchange rate volatility increasing the risk for wineries importing oak barrels for harvest.
June 5, 2018
As with any extreme weather event, wildfires have the potential to devastate businesses caught in the turmoil. But, like any other event, proper planning can mean the difference between business-as-usual...
May 24, 2018
We all love a good story, and the wine business has long recognized the need of good stories to sell wine. Stories differentiate wineries in the stories plot, persona, and person.
May 24, 2018
The use of PA is an essential tool in sustainable farming practices and, in some instances, a valuable tool to achieve compliance with local or regional governmental regulations. The previous editorial...
May 1, 2018
Measure C, the “Napa County Watershed and Oak Woodland Protection Initiative,” is a deeply-flawed, confusing and anti-agricultural land use Initiative that will appear on the June ballot throughout Napa...
May 1, 2018
A wine maker’s story and heritage is difficult to capture through a label or standard packaging. The true test for making a wine’s story and heritage come to life is to design a one-of-a-kind packaging...
April 30, 2018
This will probably tick someone off in the hospitality trade, whether eatery or winery. As few nuggets of avuncular counsel go but misconstrued, this advice considers the prix fixe special wine dinner...







