The tasting room used to be the heart of the winery business model. Walk-ins became club members. Club members became brand ambassadors. Revenue flowed predictably, and the formula worked. That’s changing. Visitation to wine regions is softening and tasting room traffic that wineries once counted...

AUSTIN, TEXAS (October 2020) – Texas winemakers and business leaders Chris Brundrett and Andrew Sides announced today the merger of William Chris Vineyards and Lost Draw Cellars, effective immediately. With a shared vision and set of values, this merger is an evolution of a long history of close...

Migrating to a new DTC platform can feel like a heavy lift. Between data transfers, integrations, and retraining staff, it is easy to delay the move until it becomes unavoidable. But waiting is not the only risk. Choosing the wrong platform can be just as costly. When Raj Patel of PATEL Napa Valley...

Logos are a visual symbol used to represent your brand, often a relatively simple graphic but don’t underestimate its importance. We are sharing our best practices for logo usage to preserve this important piece of brand recognition. LOGO FILE TYPES There are multiple file types used for logos,...

Amid shortages, new grower contracts, and experimental varieties, Texas vintners hail the 2021 vintage as excellent. —Kathleen Willcox Texas vintners experienced a vintage filled with unexpectedly harsh weather patterns in 2021. Though harvest is only now winding down, vintners are reporting a...

I was reading an article about early-spring gardening tasks, and they were suggesting that May was a great time for maintenance. The types of things recommended, such as cleaning and sharpening tools, checking bulbs and seeds for moisture or mold, mulching existing flower beds, and planning for new...

Valentine’s Day isn’t just for flowers and chocolates—it’s also a prime opportunity for wineries to boost sales, attract new customers, and strengthen existing relationships. This holiday of love lends itself perfectly to creative marketing initiatives that showcase wine as the ultimate romantic...

Controlling the oxygen level in wine is critical to the winemaking process. Too much oxygen can result in a shorter shelf life, color loss or browning, a shift from fresh and fruity to off-note aromas, a flat taste, and a thin, lackluster mouthfeel. Too little oxygen can lead to stuck...

There's nothing worse than having a customer open a bottle of wine expecting pleasant aromas and instead smelling off-putting barnyard or dead mouse aromas. Because Brettanomyces bruxellensis (Brett) can ferment sugars and create unappealing flavor and aroma changes, winemakers design quality...