The Vision Behind CALSECCO® Co-authored by Manveer Sandhu, Executive Director of Winemaking and Kim Kulchycki, Sr. Director Marketing, Rack & Riddleecutive Director of Winemaking and Kim Kulchycki, Sr. Director Marketing, Rack & Riddle Why California Needs Something Fresh & New Sparkling wine is increasing in popularity, filling more need states for consumers than almost any other type of wine. Once regarded as the primary celebratory beverage for holidays and special occasions, its market position has shifted dramatically in the last 10 years. Sparkling wine has now evolved into an everyday beverage enjoyed throughout the year. The popularity of Prosecco has made sparkling wine accessible and popular with a new and younger group of wine drinkers — the elusive Gen Z and Millennials. The ones who grew up drinking sparkling water, seltzers and other refreshing beverages from other categories but haven’t quite “gotten” wine. Well, they understand Prosecco! Given California’s

How today’s Pinot Noir winemakers can protect quality, improve flexibility, and adapt to a changing wine market. Pinot Noir has never been an easy wine to make at scale. Now, the market is also changing. Wine demand has softened. Buyers are more selective. Younger consumers are drinking differently, want value, sustainability, distinctive flavor. That puts more pressure on every cellar decision. This thin-skinned, delicate variety demands careful control over extraction, oxygen exposure, maturation, oak influence, temperature, movement, and sanitation. Small cellar decisions can change aroma, texture, color, freshness, and balance. The challenge is clear: protect the elegance and character of Pinot Noir while improving cellar flexibility, production efficiency, and margin. More control in the cellar helps winemakers do both. These four practices help winemakers make better Pinot Noir with more control and less waste: 1. Build More Precision into Extraction Pinot Noir rewards restra

In this WIN Insider episode, George interviews Julie Pedroncelli St. John, board president and founding winery owner, and Katie Ambrosi, the new executive director of Wine Road, a regional association founded in 1976 that promotes wineries and lodging throughout northern Sonoma County. Julie and Katie discuss the organization’s 50-year evolution from a simple visitor map to a major regional brand hosting signature events like Barrel Tasting, Winter Wineland, and Wine & Food Affair, while adapting to changing market conditions. Katie brings fresh creative energy to her new role, aiming to refresh marketing and events while honoring traditions, and both leaders emphasize making wine accessible for younger consumers facing affordability challenges. They highlight upcoming initiatives including the landmark 50th Anniversary Gala and “Sip Into the Weekend” program, capturing the Wine Road’s journey and optimistic outlook for the region’s future. Learn More: https://www.wineroad.com Lear

To Gen Z, shopping in a store isn’t just a quick trip to buy some essentials or a weekly pantry fill-up — it’s an experience. They need antidotes to digital immersion, and authenticity and sensorial experiences fit the bill. How something tastes or smells, what it looks like and how it feels are all part of the in-person experiences that reconnects them with the real world. That’s why a wine bottle and its label play such an essential role in influencing purchase decisions. Jarod Hernandez, the Product Manager for Wine, Spirits & Craft Beverages at UPM Adhesive Materials, explains the role of labels. “Given how competitive the market is today, label designs can make or break a brand at the shelf. Premiumization embellishments like foils or embossment can open the door for younger generations to have that first introduction not only to that bottle but also to the market and the brand.” UPM conducted neuromarketing studies on how consumers select wine at retail. Eye-tracking technolo

Not long ago, searching for something online meant typing a few words into Google and scrolling through a list of links. This behavior is changing. A growing share of people, especially younger consumers, now type full questions into ChatGPT, Claude, or Google's AI Overviews and expect a direct answer, not ten blue links to choose from. They ask things like "what's a good red wine for a dinner party?" or "which Napa wineries are worth visiting in the fall?" and they get a response that sounds like it came from someone who’s tried them all. That shift is what Answer Engine Optimization, or AEO, is about. Where traditional SEO gets your winery onto a search results page, AEO gets your winery cited as the answer. If your winery isn't showing up in AI-generated answers, you're invisible to a segment of wine buyers that is constantly growing. This is not a distant problem. It's already here. What Is AEO? SEO and AEO are related, but they're solving for different moments. SEO gets you ranke

  It’s time to think outside the box, here are Global Package’s techniques to improve your wine packaging. But, why is packaging for wine important, you ask? With the increase of “unboxing reveals” across social media and the fierce competition for on-shelf dominance in the wine industry, packaging has become crucial to gain a marketing advantage. Your customers will not only anticipate the quality of your beverage by the label and bottle design but also by the packaging (or lack thereof) your product is in.  What Is Wine Packaging? Packaging means so much more than just the bottle, and in this case when we are specifically referencing outer packaging, can also include wooden boxes, decorated gift boxes, wine totes, gift bags, storage containers, and more. Outer packaging has three main functions: to enhance the branding, add prestige, and keep the wine safe during transport and delivery. The packaging often includes a brand’s name, logo, colors, and messages about the produ

In this WIN Insider episode, George interviews Michael Kaiser, the recently promoted Executive Director of WineAmerica, about the evolving American wine landscape and federal advocacy for wineries outside California. With 20 years at the organization, Michael shares insights on pandemic-driven shifts in direct-to-consumer sales, emerging wine regions gaining recognition, packaging innovation attracting younger consumers, and complex regulatory challenges from hemp-derived beverages to export tariffs. He emphasizes the bipartisan support for wine in Congress, the role of the Congressional Wine Caucus in unified advocacy, and why collective strength through Wine America membership is essential for influencing the federal policy that shapes the industry’s future. Learn More: https://wineamerica.org/

Text messaging has evolved far beyond promotional blasts and last-minute event reminders. Today's most successful wineries are using SMS throughout the customer journey—from recovering wine club declines and improving shipping success rates to collecting customer feedback and driving allocation sales. The result is a more personalized customer experience, stronger retention, and measurable revenue growth. During a recent discussion with RedChirp and our mutual client, Black Ankle Vineyards, we explored how wineries are using SMS to create more meaningful customer interactions at every stage of the DTC journey. Black Ankle's Emma Pope shared several real-world examples of campaigns that have driven engagement, streamlined communication, and generated measurable results—offering a valuable look at how modern wineries are putting text messaging to work. While every winery's audience and goals are different, several clear themes emerged. The most successful programs aren't simply sending m

The wine industry isn’t standing still—and neither were the conversations at this year’s Wine Sales Symposium The mood surrounding the wine industry has shifted noticeably over the past year. Headlines still focus on contraction, slowing sales, declining consumption, and pressure across direct-to-consumer and wholesale channels. But underneath those realities, another story is emerging: wineries are adapting. That theme carried through nearly every session at Wine Industry Network’s 2026 Wine Sales Symposium, where winery owners, marketers, strategists, hospitality leaders, and technology providers gathered to discuss what’s actually changing in wine sales—and where opportunity still exists. The conversations were grounded in realism but notably absent of panic. Speakers focused on the operational, marketing, and consumer shifts wineries are making in response to a rapidly evolving market. And perhaps most importantly, many of the sessions pointed toward the same conclusion: growth ha

A lot of wineries still think AI is only useful for writing social captions or speeding up content creation. But in reality, AI is quickly becoming one of the most valuable tools wineries can use to improve wine club retention, personalization, customer engagement, and operational efficiency. As customer acquisition becomes more expensive and consumer expectations continue to evolve, wineries are under increasing pressure to build stronger relationships with existing customers, not just acquire new ones. That’s where AI is starting to make a real impact. In many cases, wineries can start experimenting with AI using tools they already use every day, including CRM exports, email marketing data, POS reporting, ChatGPT, or AI-powered analytics platforms. Today, wineries are using AI-powered tools and smarter segmentation strategies to: ✅ Spot at-risk members before they cancel ✅ Personalize club shipments, events, and perks ✅ Identify high-value customers who aren’t club members — yet ✅ Au