Six Wine Club Priorities to Take Into 2027 Six Wine Club Priorities to Take Into 2027 For many wineries, wine club retention is becoming more important than simply adding more names. That was the central theme of the 2026 Wine Club Symposium: Retention is the new growth. Across six sessions, winery and DTC experts examined what is changing, where clubs are feeling pressure, and what teams can do now to build stronger member relationships. Here are six priorities winery teams should carry into 2027. 1. Understand What Is Happening Beneath Your Topline Numbers The wine industry is not moving in one direction. Some wineries are gaining ground while others are holding flat or falling behind. Looking only at total club revenue can hide the difference.

What Wineries Are Learning About Retention from LEGO and Starbucks Every industry has moments where an outside perspective changes how it operates. Restaurants borrowed reservations software from airlines. Fitness studios borrowed subscription models from streaming platforms. Hotels borrowed loyalty tiers from credit card companies. The wine industry is due for a similar borrow. At the recent Beyond Wine webinar with WISE Academy, Jimmy Wu and Liz Mercer walked through seven customer growth strategies that high-performing industries have quietly mastered. Three of those stood out as immediately usable for winery DTC teams, and none of them require new technology or a bigger budget. Former members are alumni, not ex-customers The sharpest moment from the session was Liz Mercer's reframe of how wineries treat cancellations. "Ex-boyfriend is a negative connotation," she said. "Alumni is a positive one." Most wineries treat a cancelled member like an ex. Paperwork requirements. Charge-back

Spring is in the air! And summer’s about to come in hot. Wineries around the country are gearing up for a summer season in the Tasting Room, and I gotta tell ya. There’s a fair amount of anxiety. Will traffic be down? How about consumer spend? There’s also uncertainty. Are new staff trained up and ready? How will visitor trends vary this year from what we’re used to? Is it even possible to “win” in the Tasting Room this summer, with so many variables up in the air? It is indeed possible, and we have a lineup of your peers and colleagues who not only know how to win, even in this time of uncertainty, but are ready to share their strategies with you. They’re doing it smartly, with innovative strategies. And they’re doing it through data. You can too. They will show you. Please join us this Friday at 11 am PST for a deep dive into data-driven strategies to boost Tasting Room revenue through data. Registration link is here. We’re incredibly excited to announce our guest speaker lineup! Kri

Wine Industry Sales Education (WISE), the leading provider of Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) sales education, leadership coaching, and certification for the wine industry, today announced the launch of WISE Public Speaking Pathways, a new suite of live, practice-based public speaking courses developed in partnership with Clear Communication Academy (CCA). Designed specifically for winery professionals, WISE Public Speaking Pathways delivers role-based communication training across every level of the organization, from frontline tasting room staff building confidence with guests, to managers and winemakers representing the winery publicly, to executives speaking with influence and authority. With both live Zoom and in-person options, the program offers flexible access for individuals and organizations to select the experience that best aligns with their goals, team structure, and growth initiatives. “Strong communication is not a ‘nice to have’ in today’s DTC envi

As wineries across the country face softening tasting room conversion rates and increasing pressure on direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales, a new episode of Expert Talks: Wine Industry Insights highlights practical strategies from one of the industry’s leading DTC educators. InnoVint recently sat down with Liz Mercer, Partner and Winery Coach at WISE Academy, to examine what the top 10% of tasting rooms are doing differently to consistently convert guests into wine club members and drive higher-margin sales. Drawing on more than 25 years of wine industry experience, Mercer outlines the operational disciplines, team training strategies, and guest experience enhancements that set apart high-performing tasting rooms from the rest. Rather than relying on aggressive sales tactics, the discussion focuses on intentional hospitality, empowered front-of-house (FOH) teams, and structured yet authentic club conversations. The episode offers actionable guidance for wineries looking to: Grow their

In Session 3 of the Wine Club Symposium, Liz Mercer (WISE Academy) made a clear case: tasting-room traffic alone is too volatile to power sustainable DTC growth. Wineries that take their brand to their members, through roadshow events and member travel, are winning sign-ups, sales, and loyalty in the markets where fans already live. Why this matters now Weather, travel patterns, and local disruptions make tasting-room demand unpredictable. Taking the winery on the road diversifies acquisition and retention—and deepens relationships. You control cadence, format, and data capture instead of waiting for foot traffic. Three roadshow formats that work Winery-hosted dinners: Co-plan with a restaurant or country club; keep pricing all-inclusive; align the menu to make your wines shine. Partner-hosted events: Team up with lifestyle brands (e.g., premium appliance showrooms, private social clubs) to co-mingle audiences and scale. Champion-hosted gatherings: Member-home tastings done

In Session 3 of the Wine Club Symposium, Liz Mercer (WISE Academy) made a clear case: tasting-room traffic alone is too volatile to power sustainable DTC growth. Wineries that take their brand to their members, through roadshow events and member travel, are winning sign-ups, sales, and loyalty in the markets where fans already live. Why this matters now Weather, travel patterns, and local disruptions make tasting-room demand unpredictable. Taking the winery on the road diversifies acquisition and retention—and deepens relationships. You control cadence, format, and data capture instead of waiting for foot traffic. Three roadshow formats that work Winery-hosted dinners: Co-plan with a restaurant or country club; keep pricing all-inclusive; align the menu to make your wines shine. Partner-hosted events: Team up with lifestyle brands (e.g., premium appliance showrooms, private social clubs) to co-mingle audiences and scale. Champion-hosted gatherings: Member-home tastings done