From hospitality-driven visitation to loyalty and strategic partnerships, the Wine Sales Symposium explores where revenue growth is coming from now The path to winery growth looks different than it did even a few years ago. Today’s most successful wineries are not relying on a single channel or a single tactic. Instead, they are building growth through a combination of stronger customer experiences, deeper retention strategies, and brand partnerships that extend reach beyond traditional wine audiences. At this year’s Wine Sales Symposium, several sessions will explore how these shifts are reshaping sales and marketing strategies across the industry. One of the most important changes is happening in hospitality and visitation. Consumers—especially Millennials and Gen Z—are increasingly choosing experiences that feel personal, memorable, and aligned with their identity. For wineries, that means visitation is no longer simply about tasting wine; it’s about de

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 on is declining. The cohort that’s most noticeably absent? Millennials and Gen Z, the consumers who should be building the next generation of wine loyalty. For many wineries, the drop-off has been gradual enough to rationalize. Blame the economy. Blame changing drinking habits. Blame competition from craft beer and cocktails. But the reality is harder to swallow: younger consumers aren’t avoiding wine country because they don’t like wine. They’re avoiding it because the traditional tasting room experience no longer competes with how they want to spend their time and money. And if wineries don’t adapt, they risk becoming relics of an industry that waited to

Join winery leaders and industry experts to explore the strategies shaping the future of wine sales. The wine industry is entering a period of significant change. Consumer behavior is shifting, visitation patterns are evolving, and the traditional paths to market are being redefined. To succeed in this environment, wineries must rethink how they attract customers, build lasting relationships, and grow their brands. The Wine Sales Symposium, taking place on Wednesday, May 13, brings together winery leaders and industry experts for a full day focused on the strategies shaping wine sales today and in the years ahead. This year’s program explores critical topics that will cover: • Hospitality Innovation: Reimagining tasting room experiences to attract Millennials and Gen Z through values-driven programming, experiential design, and strategic partnerships • Wine Club and Customer Retention: Data-driven approaches to reducing churn, building membership value,

Corporate gifting is quickly becoming one of the strongest growth channels in the wine industry. In this session, Jessica Luke of Jackson Family Wines and Jessica Smith of WineDirect Fulfillment share how wineries can capture this demand with streamlined operations and tailored gifting experiences. Attendees will walk away with practical steps to build or expand a corporate gifting program that drives new customers and year round revenue.  Wine Sales Symposium - May 13, 2026 DoubleTree Hotel in Rohnert Park, CA Learn More Speakers Director of Marketing / WineDirect Fulfillment  Director of E-Commerce & Email Marketing / Jackson Family Wines  

Explore the newest RedChirp innovations, the latest carrier changes in the telecom industry, and learn how the most successful wineries are leveraging messaging to connect with their customers. Jennie Gilbert and a special winery guest will share actionable strategies to grow subscriber lists (email too!), increase engagement, and drive revenue, plus tips for navigating the challenges of today’s DTC wine market. Attendees will leave with timely updates, roadmaps of industry changes, and practical ideas they can implement immediately. Wine Sales Symposium - May 13, 2026 DoubleTree Hotel in Rohnert Park, CA Learn More

At WIN, our goal is simple: to create conferences and events that provide maximum value to winery and wine industry professionals. To do that, we want to hear directly from you. We’ve put together a very short list of topics, just a few checkboxes and space for your suggestions, to capture the issues that matter most in wine sales and marketing today. By sharing your preferences, you’ll help us build a program that’s directly tailored to the challenges, opportunities, and ideas shaping your business right now. Your feedback ensures these events are more relevant, more actionable, and more valuable - for you and the entire wine community. Share your input here: https://winesalessymposium.com/survey/. 

Wine Sales Symposium 2025’s roundtable of writers and PR experts explores how storytelling and publicity can shift the narrative. By Laurie Wachter Carl GiavantiDoes media coverage really help sell wine?  That’s the question the roundtable of top wine journalists and PR experts will set out to answer in Mastering Modern Media: How to Secure & Leverage Media Coverage That Drives Sales, one of the first sessions at the May 14th Wine Sales Symposium in Santa Rosa, CA. Moderator Carl Giavanti, a winery publicist and author of Wine Industry Advisor’s interview series, Turning the Tables, will lead the panel discussion by asking six questions about the benefits and pitfalls of media coverage.   What role does media coverage play in helping drive awareness and, ultimately, sales? “It’s always been about storytelling,” says Giavanti, “and even more so today when there’s so much competition, variety and options for adult beverages. Y

Who's in? A week from today, that is, at the Wine Sales Symposium in Santa Rosa, produced by the Wine Industry Network. Will you be there too? Let us know! We'd love to meet up. Michelle and Lisa, two very friendly faces you may have already met or heard from, will be staffing the Enolytics booth, at number 209. They're talking with wineries on a daily basis, and they've got their finger on the pulse of your most pressing concerns. Like migrating smoothly to a new platform. And using segmentation to create highly targeted campaigns. And how to reduce Wine Club churn. Are those things on your mind too? Good. Come talk with Michelle and Lisa. They've got suggestions for action steps you can take right away. Chris and I (and Robin!) are here for back up too. Reach out any time. And enjoy the show next week in Santa Rosa! Thank you, as always -- Cathy

Connect with HipMaps at the Wine Sales Symposium in Santa Rosa on May 14, 2025. Learn about our two innovative mapping solutions specifically designed for wineries seeking to enhance visitor engagement and brand storytelling. First, custom-designed vineyard maps transform standard tastings into educational, immersive journeys by showcasing unique terroir, AVAs, and wine narratives - elevating brands rather than simply mapping them. Second, HipMaps, including our interactive app, showcases the best of your region - partner with local wineries and businesses and offer personalized recommendations. Blend your hospitality with our tech to create unforgettable experiences! These custom-styled visualizations elevate tasting rooms, marketing materials, AVA associations, and collaborative winery partnerships with sophisticated, branded experiences for guests. Wine Sales Symposium attendees who visit the HipMaps booth will learn how these award-winning mapping solutions boost engagement and sal

Adapt, Connect, Thrive: Why Sales & Marketing Leaders Can’t Miss this Event In a time when the wine industry is facing headwinds on every front—rising inventories, demographic shifts, changing consumer preferences, and continued economic pressure—many wineries are grappling with how to evolve their approach to sales and marketing. The upcoming Wine Sales Symposium, taking place May 14th at the Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country in Santa Rosa, was created specifically for wine sales and marketing professionals who are ready to embrace change and seek out the strategies driving real growth in today’s marketplace. Hosted by the Wine Industry Network, this one-day, in-person event brings together top-performing wine brands, leading industry voices, and innovative thinkers for a focused, no-fluff conversation about what’s working—and what’s not—in the business of wine. There are wineries out there that are doing well, but they’re not