Everywhere you look right now—Hallmark Channel, Netflix, social media—it’s Christmas in July.

And while most people are watching cozy movies and pretending it’s snowing outside, here’s a better question for wineries: Are you ready for your holiday season?

October, November, and December (OND) are your biggest sales months of the year. Holiday winery marketing doesn’t start in October—it starts now.

They’re sprinting through Q3—right now—while everyone else is still daydreaming about hot cocoa and watching Christmas movies… you’ve got rosé in your glass and wine bundles to plan.

1. Clean Up Your Data — Because Bad Data Costs You Money

This isn’t just about removing bounced emails. Bad data quietly drains OND revenue by blocking you from segmenting, targeting, or even reaching your customers.

Your Move:

• Export your full email list (now, not later).
• Use ChatGPT to help spot typos like gmaii.com instead of gmail.com.
  Here’s a simple prompt to try:

“Help me identify common email domain typos in my list (like gmaii.com instead of gmail.com) and give me a formula I can use in Google Sheets to flag them.”

• De-duplicate contacts between your CRM, POS, ecommerce store, and tasting room list.
• Tag customers by behavior: past holiday buyers, corporate buyers, high-spenders, or gift purchasers.

Pro Tip:
Corksy makes audience segmentation simple — you can filter by last order date, wine club status, or purchase channel automatically.

Idea Spark:
Once your data’s clean, use it to create OND-specific groups like:

• “Gift Givers” (those who shipped to others last year)
• “Last-Minute Shoppers” (those who bought in late December)
• “Corporate Buyers”
• “Club Members Who Also Gift”
• "Bundle Shoppers"
• "Gift Card Purchasers"
• "Thanksgiving Bundle Purchasers"
• "Sparkling Wine Purchasers"
• "Early Holiday Shoppers"
• "Frequent Tasting Room Shoppers"

That’s how you build smarter campaigns before the holiday rush even begins.

2. Warm Up Your Audience — Early

By the time November rolls around, your customers will be flooded with promos.
If they’re already seeing you, they’ll pay attention.

Your Move:

• Launch a “Fall Favorites” or “Holiday Sneak Peek” lead-gen campaign now.
• Run a quiz, giveaway, or waitlist signup for early access to holiday wines or bundles.
• Share behind-the-scenes winery content to subtly nurture your list.

Example Ideas:

• “Which Holiday Wine Gift Matches Your Personality?” quiz
• Instagram giveaway: “Win a Fall Tasting Pack”
• Blog: “Behind the Barrel: How We Prep for Holiday Season”

Tip:
Corksy makes it easy to add a pop-up for these offers and start segmenting these leads automatically.

3. Reverse Engineer Your Holiday Winery Marketing Campaigns — With Creativity

Most wineries start with the discount, but that’s where they go wrong. Your holiday winery marketing campaigns should start with your customers and what they’re looking for at every stage of OND.

Once you’ve mapped out your key offers, build your calendar backward from shipping deadlines, including:

• Early gift buyer promotions
• Thanksgiving hosting bundles
• Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaigns
• Corporate gifting pushes
• Last-minute shipping reminders

Need specific ideas for Black Friday & Cyber Monday?
Check out our Black Friday & Cyber Monday Playbook for winery-specific campaign ideas that work.

Example Ideas:

• “Buy Early, Save on Shipping” promo for planners
• Friendsgiving bundle: “Wines to Win Over Your In-Laws”
• Small Business Saturday local shopper push
• “Final Call for Sparkling” email Dec. 26 targeting New Year’s Eve shoppers

AI Hack:
Prompt: “Give me holiday marketing campaign ideas for a winery targeting planners, last-minute shoppers, and gift buyers.”

4. Maximize Your Wine Club’s Holiday Power

Your club members aren’t just subscribers — they’re your best gift buyers, brand advocates, and repeat purchasers.

Your Move:

• Plan exclusive offers just for club members, such as:
  • Early access to holiday bundles
  • Member-only library wines or magnums
  • Double loyalty points on gifts
  • Free shipping for orders over a certain amount
• Create a “Wine Club Gifting Guide” — ideal for suggesting wine club memberships as gifts.
• Offer easy add-ons during club shipments (like gift bags, merch, or small-batch releases).

Example Email Hook:
“Your Holiday VIP Perk: Shop Our Limited Library Wines Before They’re Gone.”

Tip:
Corksy’s club tools let you create segmented offers by tier, loyalty level, or other behaviors — fast.

5. Make Corporate Gifting a Revenue Driver

Most wineries treat corporate gifting as an afterthought. Big mistake. Companies start shopping for client gifts as early as August.

Your Move:

• Create high-end gifting options at different price points, ready to ship in bulk.
• Build a polished one-pager or page on your website showcasing options, fulfillment deadlines, and white-glove service.
• Personally reach out to past corporate buyers and VIP customers with connections.

Example Ideas:

• Gift sets with handwritten cards, logo glasses, or custom labels.
• “Corporate Holiday Hosting Packs” — wines plus pairing guides.
• Partner with local food artisans for luxe regional bundles.

6. Operational Readiness: The Hidden OND Multiplier

You could run the world’s best campaign — but if you’re out of wine, supplies, or staff, it won’t matter.

Your Move:

• Audit inventory, merch, and packaging supplies by August. Order early.
• Cross-train staff to handle multiple roles—tasting room, fulfillment, gifting, and customer service.
• Test shipping timelines now by doing a “mock” bulk order fulfillment.
• Set shipping cutoff dates and stick to them.

Operational Extras That Move the Needle:

• Gift-ready packaging and bags
• Easy in-store pickup for locals
• Pre-packed bundles for rapid fulfillment
• Mobile POS setups for holiday events

Tip:
Corksy lets you track inventory, orders, and fulfillment all in one dashboard — no spreadsheet juggling.

7. Build Your OND Content Vault (Don’t Wing It)

Marketing fatigue is real in Q4. If you wait too long to create content, it’ll feel rushed and ineffective.

Your Move:
Batch-create your entire OND content calendar now:

• Email sequences (gift guides, shipping deadlines, last-chance promos)
• Instagram and Facebook posts (behind the scenes, bundles, countdowns)
• Blog content (holiday pairings, gifting ideas, staff picks)
• Ad copy for retargeting
  

Ideas to Include:

• “Shop the Winemaker’s Gift Picks”
• Countdown graphics for shipping deadlines
• Video tours of holiday winery décor or tasting room events
• “12 Days of Wine” email countdown

AI Hack:
Prompt: “Write Instagram captions for a winery’s holiday gift guide that feel fun, casual, and engaging.”

8. Tighten Up Your Tech Stack for Holiday Traffic

Your systems should work for you, not create more work.

Your Move:

• Ensure your eCommerce site is lightning-fast on mobile.
• Test your checkout flow for simplicity and ease, especially for gift orders.
• Set up abandoned cart and post-purchase emails.
• Automate fulfillment alerts and club shipment tracking.
• Make sure the wine club, POS, CRM, and eCommerce are fully integrated.

Why This Matters:
If a customer has a good experience — from browsing to buying to shipping — they’re likely to spend more… and come back in January.

Corksy Advantage:
Everything connects: eCommerce, club, CRM, POS, and fulfillment. No patchwork apps needed.

You’ve Got 90 Days. Start Sprinting.

Here’s your reality check:
If you wait until October, you’ve already lost.

✔️ Clean your data
✔️ Grow and warm your audience
✔️ Plan creative, segmented campaigns
✔️ Engage your wine club beyond shipments
✔️ Lock in corporate gifting offers
✔️ Get your operations dialed in
✔️ Build your content before the holiday crunch
✔️ Make your tech stack seamless

Wineries that start in Q3 don’t just survive OND — they dominate it. Otherwise? Well…

Need help mapping out your OND sprint?

👉 Book a free 1:1 strategy call with a Corksy expert — we’ll help you turn this into an actionable plan.

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