Sep 23, 2009
Sometimes I wish food and wine lovers had far, far fewer choices of content and information to sift through and enjoy just so certain information forums would get more attention. Every now and then something pops onto my radar that I'm positive has the potential to be far better than the rest, but I despair that it wont get the attention it deserves because the noise level and many choices of content for food and wine lovers are powerful deterrents…
Sep 7, 2009
The theories of marketing I like best are the ones I understand. I don't much like those theories whose substance allude me. The one theory of marketing that I've always understood and that I've seen work consistently well when applied well in the wine business is the theory of the Big Fish In The Little Pond. I think the reason the BFLP theory of wine marketing works so well is because its so elegantly simple. It works like this: Find…
Aug 20, 2009
If there was ever a type of wine organization that would benefit from instituting a blog to communicate their work and fulfill their mission, it's the appellation association. Such association are, ultimately, founded and run to promote the financial interests of the wineries and growers within the borders of the appellation. By raising the profile of the appellation, building the value of its grapes and wines and working to attract visitors to the region, the appellation association supports the efforts…
Jul 27, 2009
As quickly as it turned to a subscription model, Appellation America has pulled the plug on it’s operations. There are some significant lessons here. The publishers of this groundbreaking on-line wine site will be announcing this soon. Not more than a couple weeks into beginning to sell subscriptions to the on-line editorial and information website Appellation America, the owners decided to stop taking subscriptions, dismiss its impressive editorial staff, discontinue the publishing of any new content and let the site…
Jul 2, 2009
The best source of independent, web-only wine writing will no longer be free beginning July 6th. That's right, Appellation America recently and quietly announced it would be transitioning to a subscription format on that date. Though this move will significantly reduce its readership, it undoubtedly will have a much more active and dedicated readership and one that demonstrates real appreciation for outstanding content. And yet the bottom line is that the work of Appellation America, including its features, tastings and…