Napa Valley Wine Visit: Making It Small

Tweet I have not enjoyed my visits to Napa Valley in the same way I did in the early 1980′s.  So, I have been asking myself if I am excited to be heading back to the Napa wine scene today after a purposely extended hiatus and so many years of waning interest in another visit [...]

Week of WineZag: The Round World of Social Media and Wine Blogging

Tweet Wine blogging at WineZag and staying connected in its parallel social networks involves a time and energy commitment yielding grimaces of sympathetic pain and confusion from just about anyone I unveil the details of my dedication to. Except, of course, fellow bloggers and social media mavericks that live in the very round world of [...]

Wine Industry, Consumers, and Social Media: A Brand Loyalty Conundrum

Tweet I am annoyed and conflicted sorting through the efficacy of social media deployment for wineries intending to build brand loyalty.   My visceral understanding of the raw marketing power unleashed by well deployed social media programs and a personal conviction that wine consumers ought to embrace brand/winery/vineyard/house styles and reject brand loyalty fuels my sloppy [...]

Quality Wine as a Primary Path to Winery Profitability

Tweet Stuffed car trunks and airplane holds of newly discovered wine being escorted home from wine regions by pleased holiday tasters is a common scene.  Souveniers are pawns serving our emotional construct and consumer culture.  But when it comes to tasting room visits, it just might make more sense to settle for a few photos, t-shirts, and [...]