A few years ago at the DTC Wine Symposium, a panelist joked about the modern winery website formula: the guy, the dog, the truck, and the vineyard. Beautiful backdrop, strong lifestyle photography, a thoughtful founder story. Polished, absolutely. Strategically distinct, rarely. The critique wasn’t about branding. It was about structure. Most winery websites aren’t broken, but they aren’t built as decision environments either. Calls to action are unclear, revenue pathways are buried, shipping surprises appear late, and wine club often lives in isolation instead of throughout the buying journey. After auditing winery sites across regions and production sizes, the pattern is consistent: performance is constrained by friction, not effort. Most wineries don’t have a traffic problem. They have a conversion architecture problem. Before increasing ad spend or launching another promotion, run a winery website audit — on your phone. Start at the homepage and move t

Traditional demand for wine has softened, buyers are pickier, and “default growth” is basically gone. Meanwhile, the consumer mindset has changed dramatically—wellness, moderation, and “I want to drink less but still drink well” is becoming the new normal. That combo is tough on the old playbook. But it’s also a huge opening for brands that are willing to pivot with intention (not panic). At BevZero, we see this moment as a reset: a chance to meet people where they are now—and build a portfolio that survives the slump and comes out stronger on the other side with non-alcoholic products. What’s Driving the Slump A few things are happening at once: Wellness is influencing purchase decisions more than ever. People aren’t necessarily “anti-wine”, they’re just more mindful about alcohol consumption. Curiosity has matured into expectation. Today’s no/low-alc shopper isn’t experimenting anymore, they ex

NAPA, Calif., (Nov. 26, 2025) – VA Filtration Services’ Scientific Approach, Innovative Solutions from Napa Valley At VA Filtration Services, our mission is to empower winemakers to produce wines of the highest sensory quality. One of the challenges in modern winemaking is managing undesirable levels of pyrazines, particularly methoxypyrazines, which can impart green, herbaceous aromas that mask fruit character and complexity. Winemakers are left with two options: cover up the pyrazine (and potentially other attributes) or remove it through advances in pyrazine remediation practices. The Problem: Pyrazines in Wine Methoxypyrazines are naturally occurring compounds in certain grape varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. While subtle concentrations can add a sought-after freshness, excessive amounts lead to pronounced bell pepper and grassy notes, often perceived as faults—especially in premium reds. Often pyrazines present in wine due to enviro

At Peregrine Mobile Bottling, we believe that the final stage of winemaking - the bottling line - shouldn't be a compromise. Instead, it should be an opportunity to elevate your product, preserving all the hard work, nuance, and care that went into every vintage. Over the years, we’ve seen firsthand how integrating advanced Gas Management using a KH Tec Membrane Technology into the bottling process makes an undeniable difference in wine cost savings, quality, shelf stability, and consumer experience. This is our story - and the story of the wineries who trust us to help them tell theirs.  Where Technology Meets Terroir When we started offering gas management services alongside our mobile bottling, we weren’t just adding a feature. We were responding to a real need in the industry. Too often, wineries saw excellent wines lose their luster after bottling. Subtle aromatics would flatten. Effervescence would fade. Shelf life suffered. The common culprit? CO₂ and Oxyge

Wineshipping LLC acquired Pack n’ Ship Direct, 24Seven Enterprises & Vin-Go a little over a year ago, creating the nation’s largest direct-to-consumer logistics provider with 2.6 million square feet of temperature-controlled warehouse space throughout the country. The company, which shipped close to 100 million bottles of wine last year, employs roughly 1300 people.  Chief Executive Eric Lewis joined Wineshipping just prior to the acquisition after working in direct-to-consumer fulfillment and technology for a decade. He was the first employee in fulfillment for Amazon in California, establishing a presence in Southern California before joining Google. More recently, he was SVP of Operations for Casper, which sells mattresses DTC. He worked in manufacturing with Black and Decker and Ford so has experience with engineering and automation as well.  In an interview with Wine Business Monthly, Lewis discussed how the company handled the COVID-19 crisis, managing g

Tell us a few words about yourself and your wines: Born in a family with strong roots in the Douro Valley and a long winegrowing tradition, to Tiago Alves de Sousa the land appeal was listened from a tender age. With a degree in Agricultural Engineering by the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, he was distinguished with the award Foundation “António de Almeida” and with a special distinction by the Portuguese government for being the best student of the degree. After some periods of harvest training, collaborating with consecrated winemakers such as Manuel Vieira, Luís Cabral de Almeida and Anselmo Mendes, complemented with studies of winemaking and viticulture and a passage in the Institute of Viticulture of the Università Cattolica de Piacenza (Italy) where he collaborated with the reputed Professors Mario Fregoni and Luigi Bavaresco, he joins definitely Alves de Sousa’s winemaking team in 2002. For some years he accumulated the w

The Australian ‘Black Summer’ of 2019/20, which saw bushfires destroy swathes of vineyard land across the country was a dramatic reminder of the growing challenges facing winemakers around the world. We spoke to leading Australian winemakers and lab technicians to find out how agile decision-making is helping to deal with the consequences of global warming. Offering alarming proof of the escalating effects of climate change, in November 2019 bushfires blazed through New South Wales, scorching more than five million hectares of land following Australia’s hottest and driest year on record. In December 2019, the fires swept through the Adelaide Hills, destroying 650 ha of vines in the region, and wiping out entire vineyards. Making matters worse, the smoke from the fires was far-reaching, rendering vineyard plots from Canberra to the Hunter Valley useless. Ravaging an estimated 24.3 million hectares of land in total and destroying over 3,000 buildings, the September 2019

Shaping the future of wine and spirits sales The new year is fast approaching, and the speed of change in wine and spirits sales has never been more startling. Many wine and spirits companies are operating if little has changed, and unfortunately, this is causing a significant separation between those who keep pace and those who fall far behind.  So that you can stay ahead of the curve and on top of trends, we’ve assembled a list of what we see as the top six trends to know. 1. “Digital” 3-tier comes of age The neon “no vacancy” sign has been flashing for years regarding wineries and distilleries trying to wedge their way into distributor portfolios. Distributors large, medium, and small are all at total capacity. We constantly hear stories from suppliers being turned away.  To say that wholesalers have reached “maximum capacity” would be a colossal understatement. But the good news is that alternatives DO exist. Consider exploring t

After navigating our client’s business and company growth during the last two roller-coaster years, I was ready for a significant break. Armed with credits from two canceled vacations and many pent-up credit card miles, I cashed in for an extended European visit in July. While there, my husband and I traveled to and stayed in four major wine-tasting regions: Alsace, Champagne, Burgundy, and the Rhine/Mosel. While there are countless and apparent differences between how France, Germany, and the US promote tourism and sell wine directly to customers, there are equal similarities if you look hard enough. As a native of Napa, wine tourism and marketing wash over me. But, on this trip, I found myself in the rare role of a focused tourist. So, I became aware of the marketing cues and delivery vehicles and noted what worked, and what didn’t.  HERE’S SOME OF WHAT I LEARNED: 1. YOU CAN’T JUDGE A BAGUETTE BY ITS CRUST. If I were to ask you to paint a picture of your idea