Archive for the ‘Public Relations & Wine’ Category

Dec 8, 2021

What Has Been Confirmed and Learned in My 16th Year of Wine Writing

Having just completed my 16th year publishing FERMENTATION, I look back at these past 12 months and, as is my tradition, seek to understand what I’ve learned or confirmed about wine, my industry, and its people in the course of my reading and writing and living. These are those things. CONFIRMED: Wine Communications Remains Vibrant: When I think “Wine Communications” I’m thinking real writers and media, not influencers. I’m thinking about the emergence of The Drop, From Pix. I’m thinking…

Oct 11, 2021

The New Shiny Dull Object is Right Wing Wine

Why does it seem it’s always the most uninteresting wine that provokes the most controversy in the wine industry? Earlier in the year, a big old kerfuffle surrounded the introduction of the Avaline brand from actress Cameron Diaz and the description of the product as “clean wine”. The wine itself is decidedly average. The Kurfuffle over what the hell “clean” means was bigger than your average kerfuffle and still vexes those of us who think words describing wine ought to…

Apr 20, 2021

Wine, Mind Share and the Media—A Potent Combo Still

In 1990 I went to work for a wine-oriented PR firm in Santa Rosa, California. I was fresh off the college boat, had never worked in public relations and the only insight I had into how the media works was that I saw newspapers and magazines arrived at my home with relative regularity. I didn’t know any journalists or writers. I read a lot, but the idea of speaking with writers and suggesting topics for them to write about held…

Dec 8, 2020

A Sip of Wine, A Mean Email, A Bad PR Move—An Ugly Tale

Wine PR Pro Tip: If a well-known and respected wine critic sends you a private message to express their disgust at the quality of your wine that they drank at a restaurant, don’t inform the world of the critic’s opinion. I don’t think I need to explain why promoting a private message of disgust with your product is a bad idea. Let’s just say it’s counterproductive where sales and reputation are concerned. This is surely the advice I would have…

Sep 10, 2020

President Trump Provides a Learning Moment For the Alcohol Beverage Industry

Duplicity. Hypocrisy. Lying. These are things of which every company, and certainly every beverage company, ought to try to avoid being accused. The recent revelation that President Donald Trump told a reporter one thing about the COVID-19 threat to Americans and told the public another thing about the potential impact of COVID19 on Americans brings to light the importance of consistency in messaging that every beverage company ought to keep in mind. Today, wineries, brewers, distillers, retailers, importers and wholesalers…