We are certainly living in different times—times that are difficult to predict and even harder to plan for. Challenges originating far outside our professional world are quickly impacting our day-to-day operations and, ultimately, your business. Throughout 2026, suppliers across the industry have faced significant disruption, and those challenges have inevitably flowed downstream to our valued wine and spirits customers. While none of us welcome this level of uncertainty, it is also not entirely unexpected given the global environment we’re operating in. Recently, the Wine Industry Network published a timely and insightful article that underscores the importance of preparation. The message is clear: we must plan ahead, secure what we can, and remain ready for continued volatility. Duties, tariffs, currency fluctuations, transportation challenges, and unexpected fees are all contributing to rising costs—and the reality is, no one can predict what will come next. What

In the competitive three-tier wine industry, QBRs are vital and necessary to the supplier-distributor relationship. From constant shifts in consumer demand to the need or desire to move a particular product within a set period of time, aligning distributor activity and programs is key to moving the right dials.  But for sales managers, every quarter can seem like a constant repeat of the same conversation discussing finances instead of brand reach and product placement plans. Now your meeting is stuck in a loop of going through and tracking down billbacks while trying to get a hold of finance.  Sound familiar? This article will cover three practical tips to help you flip the script on your QBRs.  CLICK HERE TO READ NOW  How Improve Your Distributor Sales Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) in 3 Easy Steps

With wineries practically betrothed to spreadsheets, early-2000s websites, and stodgy cursive fonts plucked straight from a Jane Austen character’s trembling hands, is it any surprise that our industry is behind in adopting useful AI tools with the capacity to make our businesses efficient and profitable?   Despite all appearances to the contrary, given that first paragraph – this isn’t another post trying to shame the industry into adapting. A well-connected bev alc professional need only scroll LinkedIn for about two seconds for a hearty dose of “stop complaining; this is your fault” novellas on the state of alcohol sales today.  No; the intent here is to empower you: to suggest that the AI tools available to us right now are not only developed enough, but so easily adoptable that taking action today might just be enough to usher you and your team into a sound night’s sleep for the first time since, perhaps, “the before times&rdq

Expand Your Wine Brand with Rack & Riddle’s Canning & Bottling Solutions Full-Service Canning & Bottling Options At Rack & Riddle, we’re here to help bring your wine brands to life with our canning and bottling options for both sparkling and still wines. Whether you’re scaling up or just starting out, we’ve got you covered! With 3.5 million cases of capacity across 4 state-of-the-art facilities, we’re ready to grow with you. Our facilities are SMETA, CCOF, and GMP certified, ensuring exceptional quality from start to finish. Speaking of finishes, we offer a variety of popular formats and finishes, including: 750ML, 375ML, 187ML, and limited 1.5L Cork finish, screw cap, and crown cap (on select sizes) 200ML and 255ML cans Plus, our automated production lines and advanced on-site lab services ensure your wines are crafted with precision and care. Let’s talk about how we can support your brand’s growth. Call us today for more inf

Let's get a jump start on 2023! This is your opportunity to address the common pricing challenges beverage alcohol businesses face so you can better manage (and improve) your margins, run DAs more efficiently and effectively, hone in on your brand, hit your sell-through goals, and start increasing profits. Of course, improving your processes and performance means adjusting your approach to the entire cycle of pricing and three-tier distribution management. This includes everything from promotions, depletion allowances, your QBRs, and your gross-to-net—and we can help. Continue Reading

It’s already 2022, but how your winery or import business approaches pricing and trade spend management might be stuck in Y2K. Good news. It’s not too late to resolve to update and repair your approach to depletion allowances, distributor incentives, and promotions to make this year the most profitable yet. But where do you begin? Commit to tackling these top 3 common pricing issues: Get a handle on everything (ALL of it) gross-to-net: Most wineries focus on depletion allowances and often fall short of getting the whole picture of their product pricing and margin management. But, DAs aren’t the only expenses you need to factor in. Calculations commonly miss sample costs, sales incentives, non-distributor vendors, or expense buckets kept in separate systems. Read Beyond Depletion Allowance: The Top 8 Mistakes Wineries Make With Pricing Management to learn what might be absent from your pricing and margin analysis and how to fix it. Cover the 30% gap in third-