A year that felt like a century...tariffs, the Covid-19 pandemic, massive wildfires, social upheavals for both gender and race...2020 is one for the record books.  Carlton McCoy, CEO of Heitz Cellars, and Jane Anson, writer for Decanter Magazine and author of Inside Bordeaux, join Robert and special guest host Charlie Fu (Wine Berserkers moderator) to recap all the twists and turns of 2020. Detailed Show Notes: Wine tariffsAnson - had an immediate impact when they went into place in Nov 2019 on the French wine industry, pre-Covid (~April 2020), French wine was down 30% with Bordeaux down ~12%, the French had to battle with the US, China, and Brexit -> may lead to a bumpy start to 2021McCoy - mostly entry-level SKUs hit in Europe, made it challenging to offer the same wines by the glass in the US; impacted in the late spring / early summer as importers brought in containers ahead of the tariffsCovid-19McCoyWas able to shift sales more seamlessly from on-premise (restaurants) to off-premise (retailers) because the Heitz group started Domaine Estate, a domestic and international negociantFocused on how to support restaurants and bought a lot of high-end wine at retail from restaurantsHeitz invested in outdoor furniture and golf carts to host guests outside in the vineyardIncreased digital marketing (social, email) and phone campaigns (which worked very well) -> increased direct sales 3x over 2019Heitz was able to double down on tasting room construction during CovidAnsonHas seen a direct marketing ramp, wineries want a more personal relationship with peopleBordeaux chateaux - a little suspicious at first, now getting on boardUnion de Grand Cru (“UGC”) wanted En Premier to be the normal way but canceled one week before and instead sent samples of wine all over the world67 Pall Mall, a private wine club in London - started Zoom tastings with sample bottles very quickly, after 6-7 months of events is evolving to more of a YouTube-like channel with higher production qualityEuropean restaurant sceneFrance - better at supporting restaurants, also had clearer communication of the lockdown rulesUK - rules changed every week, very difficult to follow, some reports say ~30,000 restaurants closingIn France - a case of one restaurant winning an insurance claim for the closures, which is a big case to watch for precedent-setting for the industry; currently being challenged as most policies exclude major catastrophesMcCoy - in the US, zero government response from restaurant associations seeking relief, >100,000 restaurants closed, many likely permanentlyAnson - launching Inside Bordeaux (Berry Bros, $80) during Covid has been challenging - issues with printing to furloughs at the publisher has made it a challengeSocial Justice / Black Lives Matter (“BLM”) / Female Rights MovementsMcCoy - 2020 was a continuation of movements that have been happening for >100 years, not unique to black people, but they are just the most outspoken; the support is more diverse now than it ever has been beforeAnson - Europe and the rest of the world embraced the movement, realizing that this impacts everybody and not just the US; heavily focused on identifying opportunities for people to get into the wine industryRoederer pivoted from wine writing awards to diversity scholarshipsFu - raised $60,000 for the NAACP in 2 days on Instagram and Facebook through a wine auction, was surprised how political it was perceivedMcCoy - the Court of Master Sommelier sexual misconduct scandal - “no one was surprised,” the restaurant culture is promiscuous in general -> the CMS is being forced to restructure like an actual companyAnson - gender issues still a major issue in Europe with control and power still entrenched in a few white males, the En Magnum in France published a sexist cartoon, and when female journalists spoke up, they were hushedWildfiresMcCoy - fires have always happened in the West (of the US)Heitz left 80% of the fruit on the vine in 2020Believes that no one understands the science of smoke taintBelieves that reports that the whole vintage was lost in Napa were due to irresponsible journalismMultiple samples of the same wine from labs showed different results for smoke taint - believes lab results are inaccurateAnson - Australia also hard hit by wildfires, especially the Yarra Valley and Kangaroo IslandBest Wine Book read this yearFu - Inside Burgundy by Jasper Morris MWMcCoy - The Great Winemakers of California by Robert BensonAnson - Wine for Normal People by Elizabeth SchneiderBest Wines Tasted in 2020Fu - 2017 Liger Belair La Romanee, 1974 Heitz Cellars Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, 1991 Chave Cuvée Cathelin HermitageAnson - 1998 & 1999 tasting of Petrus, Lefleur, and Le PinMcCoy - 2002 Rene Engel Clos Vougeot, 2018 Jaimee Motley Peter Martin Ray Cabernet SauvignonVernick - 1964 Gaja Barbaresco, 1991 & 1994 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With four years of extreme fire season in Northern California, the study and importance of smoke taint is at all-time highs.  Leading the charge is Dr. Anita Oberholster of UC Davis, who is collaborating globally to better understand the chemistry of smoke exposure and taint, how to measure it, what to do about it, and how to create new solutions to monitor and manage it.  This episode packs everything you’d ever want to know about smoke taint in 50 minutes! Detailed Show Notes: Dr. Oberholster is an Extension Specialist in Oenology at UC Davis, which means she interacts more with industry than teaches, lots of applied researchFrom South Africa, she studied Biochemistry and has a Ph.D. in Wine Chemistry from South AustraliaDefinitions: Smoke taint - overpowers the wine, makes it one dimensional, and reduces the qualitySmoke exposure - can have different levels of exposure, no index yet exists to track, but academics are collaborating on itSmoke exposure is less about proximity, but how fast the smoke gets to you => very fresh, dense smoke = higher risk of smoke taintVolatile phenols decay in the atmosphere, if it’s more than 24 hours old, there’s less riskThe ultimate goal - have a low-cost sense that detects volatile phenols to determine the smoke riskVineyards are most susceptible when there are berries on the vineThere’s no carryover effect from prior year firesTesting grapes vs. wine - wine tests are more accurate because there are more free volatile phenols vs. bound with sugars~20-25% of people aren’t sensitive to smoke taintTesting is expensive and laborious, requires a gas chromatography, mass spectrometerCrop insurance - covers grower if smoke exposure is above a certain level; it’s heavily subsidized by the governmentThere’s no correlation between thin and thick-skinned grapes and smoke taintAlcohol (if >10%), sugar (if >3g/L), and phenolic compounds mask smoke character, and green character enhances the smoke characterRose - gets ~30% of the volatile phenols vs. red wine but may still show taint relative to the lower concentration of compoundsCarbonic maceration - one of the worst for smoke taintSprays to prevent taint - results very variable so farWhen there’s wetness/oiliness on berries, then to absorb more smoke taintWashing fruit - unclear if this has any impactMost wineries will not take the brand risk to release smoke tainted wineBest practices for growers and wineries: Buy crop insurance for growersContracts between growers and winery need to be as clear as possible, with a cutoff for smoke taint Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robert and Peter discuss how luxury wines are priced, delving into the core insights from the Pricing Chapter of Peter’s book, Luxury Wine Marketing.  They discuss the luxury wine price segments, the types of luxury wine buyers, and how you need everything to be working right to build a luxury wine brand.  “You can’t just stick a label on two-buck chuck and price it at $1,000.”  Detailed Show Notes: Luxury Wine Marketing (“LWM”) was published in late 2019Contains industry best practices for how to sell luxury wines vs. more “commercial” winesIncludes new research on the market size, customer segmentation, and frameworks for marketing luxury winesWine pricing segmentsThe overall wine market has an average price of $7-8/bottleThat makes $20+ sometimes classified as “luxury.”In LWM, luxury wine is more of a luxury good - where the product is used to differentiate$50-99 - affordable luxury$100-199 - everyday wine for the luxury buyer$200-499 - special occasion luxury$500-999 - icon wines$1,000+ - dream winesLuxury wine consumer segmentsThe Wine CollectorThe Wine Geek - seeks knowledge.True Luxury Buyer - buys top brands.Aspirational Buyer - looks up to the True Luxury Buyer.Brand impact on the priceDom Perignon is a special occasion wine at $170/bottle vs. if it was $40/bottle.Price signals an element of quality.Price makes some people think it’s better quality.Strategies to launch luxury winesBuild-up - start lower-priced and build-upBuild-down - start higher and build-downNeed a good story and quality to back up pricingE.g., Penfolds - from Grange to $10-15/bottle wines, Grange provides the halo effect for the cheaper wines as people to associate themselves with the brandLuxury branding - using price over value as the luxury driver, e.g., Harlan EstateLuxury wine demandSometimes when you increase the price, you increase demand2 types of demand - consumption and investment demandWineries want people to drink, not sell the wines, to keep the secondary market highStill need to have value - quality and reputation of the winesBurgundy - driven by wine collectors who want the scarce and rareTricks and tips for buying luxury winesKnow what you like and target those types of winesIf you want something special - brand strength is important, a la the gifting culture in ChinaFollow critics whose palates are similar to yours and track there scores to find valuesCheck out the best wines from less well-known parts of the worldWinery pricing strategy has 4 major determinantsQualityBrand strengthCompetitionExternal factorsHow do some Napa wines come out of the gate pricing $250+? Sometimes they leverage the brand strength of the winemaker.Mostly selling to friends and family.Sometimes they need to play the long game and sit on wines for a while Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A global think tank, a research and action institute, ARENI Global is dedicated to understanding and sharing knowledge around the world of fine wine.  Pauline Vicard, the Co-Founder and Executive Director, shares ARENI’s definition of fine wine and details findings from their research around the fine wine consumer.  This includes how millennials are shifting the mindset of all fine wine consumers, how they are loyal to merchants over brands, and the differences between consumers in Hong Kong, mainland China, and Europe.  Listen in and get to know the fine wine consumer better! Detailed Show Notes: ARENI Global - started as a think tank in 2017, gathering experts within and outside of the wine world, now a research and action institute with 3 steps: 1) understand the world 2) the impacts on the future of fine wine 3) what actions to takeARENI deliverablesDiscussion platforms with peersPublish whitepapers, reports, articlesSmaller events, panelsFine wine definitionObjective quality - complexity, length, balance, potential to ageThe capacity of fine wine to stop time, bring emotionsRelationship with its maker - the authenticity of expression of the winemakerPrice points - start at 30 euros ex-cellar, to the highest bracket of 450+ euros ex-cellarThe fine wine consumerARENI interviews collectors and merchants every yearWant to be treated as unique; curious - really into information; international; demanding; very loyal (not to wines/brand, but to several merchants) - trust is important; price-aware; masculine = getting more feminine (~15-20% today); getting young (now ~49, but getting younger)Use the internet to review prices and ratingsYounger international / millennials - don’t have a lot of regional differences, often source wines from around the world; choose restaurants based on sommeliers and follow them on Instagram; learn from the internetHong Kong - buy to possess, only buy through friends, interested in famous history or personalities, not vineyards and soilMainland China - buy to drink, only buy through friends, use the internet to make sure wine exists and isn’t counterfeitWhen prices rise for specific wines or regions, those buyers move on to other wines/regions; the brands find new customers in different regionsFine wine regionsmostly the classics, Bordeaux (70%), Burgundy rising, Italy, and ChampagneCalifornia has not impacted much because very little sold internationally, though more via La Place de Bordeaux; taste profile too powerful, Super Tuscans more similar to Bordeaux and better-perceived value4 types of fine wine consumers - fairly equally distributed between eachPassionate - addicted to knowledge, mentorship importantStatus Seekers - buy the label, belong to a group, approved by influencersCollector Drinkers - buy and sell wines, make money to buy more wineAffluent - people who are rich and want to drink better winesMillennial mindset - impacting other groups with their mindset - want to be considered as an individual, demanding, likes sustainability, social media use; the challenge is the affordability of fine winePeople tend to learn about fine wine through family consumption (especially in Europe), work (especially in the US), bought fine wine when it was cheaper years ago, mentorship (often from merchants and sommeliers), interest in food, and travel Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeff Zacharia, President of Zachy’s, the global leader in wine auctions, tells us about how they made wine auctions more fun, have been moving to studio sales and bidding parties without live auctions, and how they narrowly escaped being swindled by Rudy Kurniawan’s wine fraud scheme.  We learn all about the wine auction process, what regions are trending, and where he sees the market going.  Don’t forget to rate and review XChateau wherever you get your podcasts! Detailed Show Notes: Zachy’s founded in 1944 by Jeff’s grandfather, Jeff joined in 1983Zachy’s wine auctions started in 1995 when wine auction became legal in NY, started with a partnership with Christie’s, and then went independent in 2002Expanded to Hong Kong in 2008 and London in 2020London is to expand in Europe, believes it is underserved from a wine auction perspectiveHaving wines in Europe enables quicker delivery for European customersLondon was the wine auction capital, then became New York, then Hong Kong, now it’s in between New York and Hong KongAuction ProcessSend a list of wines, get a low and high estimate, sign a consignment contractOrganize wines to Zachy’s warehouse, catalog wines in detail (including fill, labels, etc.…), and print catalog, either electronic or print3 methods of auctions - live auction, studio sales (live auctions online), and internet / timed salesZachy’s differentiation - great effort in researching and inspecting the winesAuction MarketSaw steady growth year over year, with a spike in 2019 due to big sales2020 - beating projections (12% above projections)Zachy’s leadership - how they became the #1 wine auction house globallyWine is all they do. They are focused and passionate about itJeff has been in the wine business for 40 years and built deep, long-term relationshipsThe team has invested years building their relationships with collectors and wineriesInnovations - centered around making auctions fun and engagingChanged from the classic auditorium-style auctions to restaurant-style with food and wineBidding parties - often for studio sales, smaller gatherings around the world (e.g., Sweden, London, Germany, China, Hong Kong) that have the same food and wine atmosphere connected via Zoom to the auctionInvestigating how to make virtual auctions more interactiveAuction business modelCurrently focused on buyer’s premiumMay have seller’s commission, but depends on consignment size - the larger the consignment, the smaller the commission; substantial sales may even have rebates from the buyer’s premiumsGetting more consignors is the challenge currentlyExpect prices to continue to rise - quality keeps rising (especially weaker vintages), and more collectors out there for a relatively inexpensive luxuryGrowing auction markets - Burgundy remains strong, some growth in Champagne and Rhone, California hasn’t yet gotten traction - potentially due to a different style of wine than those who are buying BurgundyProvenance premium often from ~20-200%Producer direct - can introduce or reintroduce wines to Zachy’s buyer base, sharing these wines for them to taste, and another way to help build the brandScores declining in importance with more wine criticsTo be auctionable - need quality, rarity, and fashionable - what people are looking forRudy Kurniawan story - bought a lot of wine from a Zachy’s auction and never paid, sent a list of wine to be sold in order to pay, but Zachy’s was uncomfortable with the wines (~60% seemed suspect) and rejected the whole consignment Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With a 25 year history, WineBid is the oldest and largest online wine auction site.  The original wine re-commerce platform, Russ tells us about the auction process from the buyer and seller perspective as well as all the data they collect and display for the wines.  This includes innovations such as a 360-degree bottle shot, price history charts, and new functionality like their customized shipping feature.  He even spills the beans on a few tips and tricks to getting the best deals on WineBid!  Detailed Show Notes: Russ’ background - software and e-commerce at realtor.com, myfico.com, gazelle.com, and also had a vineyard in Temecula, California, growing Syrah and TempranilloWineBid - 25 years old, based in Seattle with operations in Napa, the oldest and largest wine auction siteWeekly auctions - open at 7:15 pm PST on Sundays, closes at 7 pm PST the next SundayAll items open at the same timePro’s get 1st 5-10 minutes to view and place bidsWhat doesn’t sell rolls into the following weekNow introducing some wines mid-week, with most wines going in one weekSet good reserves upfrontWineBid Sunday Night is "appointment internet" - people watch the auctions' final minutes with a good bottle of wine, watching some wines get bid upCan monitor all bids at once with WineBidFor Sellers of wineConsignors are mostly private individualsMost sales are for $10,000-$1M+, ideally $100+ average bottle valueSellers send their list and get an estimateWineBid does the appraisal and after agreeing with consignor, ships wine to the Napa warehouseWines are inspected, authenticated, and photographedOnce sold, sellers get a check or electronic wire transferAs part of an estimate, for larger cellars, WineBid will help catalog and pre-inspect on-siteReasons people sell winesAs in many businesses, the 3 D’s - divorce, debt, and deathPeople also have their tastes change and swap out what’s in their cellarsThey move and want to downsize their cellarSpouse/partners - may force sales before they can buy moreWine as an investment - WineBid was featured in an article in the Economist, conducting a 15-year analysisBasket of Burgundy wines would have outperformed the S&P 500Basket of Bordeaux wines would have been close to the S&P 500Need to think of total transaction costs- transactions costs higher for wine as an investment, as a physical assetConsignment vs cash buyout for wine sellers - generally make more money consigning and capture more upside, but takes more time and can get paid sooner, at a discount, with immediate cash buyoutBusiness modelSeller commissions - at most auction houses 5-25%, larger the consignment, the lower the premiumBuyer’s premiums - generally 15-25%, 17% at WineBid vs ~20-25% for live auctionsBuyer demographics - ~135-150,000 registered bidders70% US, 20% Asia, 10% Europe⅔ Male, ⅓ FemaleUpper middle income and higher-tech, finance, professionals (lawyers, doctors)Demographics getting younger, particularly in 2020 -> interested in a broader selection of wines with higher mobile usageMost learn about WineBid via word of mouth, recently doing more social and digital advertising and trying to make the experience more personalTips & Tricks for buyersBid early, put in 1st bid at the reserve, and set your max price upfront -> this may discourage others from bidding on the wineDon’t get emotional and chase the wine upLook for wines that you know you’ll like without scores or in the 90-93 point range (94+ get big premiums); analysis based on average critic scoresOnly ~3% of the wine market is online, ~$10B online with a $325B overall marketCovid pandemic accelerated the move online by ~7 yearsE.g., Wine.com setting record numbers and seeking capital at ~$1B valuationGoPuff buying BevmoWineBid Innovations360-degree hi-res bottle shotsOne of the best for still photography in wine auctionsShipping functionality - can see everything you have and pick and choose what and when to shipSome of the most detailed condition notes on bottlesWine price chart for the history of the bottle, like a Zillow ZestimateMost expensive wine sold on the site - a $50,000 bottle of Rose from Sine Qua NonProvenance premiumsDon’t see significant premiums on provenanceNo significant premiums for original wood cases (“OWC”) - buyers often don’t want to pay extra to ship the wood caseCertificates of authenticity not seeing significant premiumsLabel appearance is important to many buyersThe proliferation of wine critics and influencers has led to some influencers rivaling and outpacing traditional media Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we learn about the wine auction market from Jaime Ritchie, Worldwide Head of Wine at Sotheby’s, one of the leaders in the space.  We discuss how wine auctions work, how finding in-demand wines to sell is the current challenge, and the increasing digitization and diversification of the space.  From moving to more online auctions, younger buyers from more diverse backgrounds and geographies, to how tariffs and taxes and reshaped the wine auction landscape, this episode is a must-listen if you have any interest in the world of fine and rare wines. Detailed Show Notes: Sotheby’s founded in 1744, wine division in 1970 - started with wine auctions in LondonExpanded wine auctions to New York and London, which also has retailSpirits getting to be a bigger part of their business, 3% in 2018, up to 19% in 2020How auctions workFind the wine and collectionsCreate auction estimates (low - high estimates) and suggested reserve (confidential between auction house and seller)Logistics - go-to wines, photograph, and shipTerms & consignment agreement with seller signedData entry and presentation of the collection to maximize valuePublish auction catalog and marketingLive auctionInvoicing The auction process normally takes 6 weeks - 3 months. Large collections often require 6 months - 2 years lead timeAuction vs. retail - auctions for rare wines or full cases, retail more for futures, latest vintages, more diverse way to buy wines (by the bottle or by the case)The wine auction market - ~$500M / yearSotheby’s had record sales in 2019 ($118M), up 20% from the prior yearThe average lot size is ~$7,500 / lot (2019)Covid impact - fewer wines on the market, makes operations more difficult -> lower overall sales value and volumesMarket pricing still strong, likely due to stock market strength and low volumes, unlike during the Great Recession where prices fell 40%The buyer set is expandingAge - buyers getting youngerGeographically - more Asian and South American buyersLong-term - the price of wine will rise as more people want to drink, and a relatively fixed supply of the best winesAsia market - Sotheby’s started in 2009 - $40M, $55M in 2010Asian buyers are the least price-sensitive, used to be US marketWines now go from EU/US -> Asia vs EU -> US beforeLargely influenced by Hong Kong wine import tax rate going to 0%The only cost to get wine there is to ship containers (~$6-10k / container)UK market - less competitive auction market, more competitive fine wine market; Brexit impact - trying to find ways to mitigate the impact, expecting a minimal overall impactUS market - most competitive auction market, w/ tariffs, no collections being shipped to the USLogistics - offer shipments from NY to Hong Kong 3x / yearOverall, it depends on the laws and customs of each country or stateIn general, it is the buyer’s responsibility to move the wine after purchaseDigital transitionPlanned only 6 online auctions and 20 in-person ones in 2020, ended up being mostly onlineNew digital Sotheby’s auction platform - was planning 3-5 year transition, did it in 3 monthsOnline to be the common marketplace with live auctions for special collectionsCan still do events with online auctions - Robert Drouhin auction - dinner in Hong Kong with a live auction in LondonBusiness ModelOnline still costs the same to process wines vs. live auctionsBuyer’s premiums rising because the main issue is sourcing the winesIn 1990 - used to be a 10% sales commission with no buyer’s premium, now no commission and all buyer’s premiumGrowth areas after the price of Burgundy has skyrocketed - Rhone, Italy (Tuscany, Piedmont), Champagne, German Wines; CA and Bordeaux have been flatInvestable vs. Auctionable wines - investable wine have a belief that they will increase in value, auctionable just need a secondary market value, may not need to appreciate, be in good condition, and authenticThe provenance of wines can drive big premiumsLafite direct from Chateau auction (2010) - $7M sale vs $1M low estimate - 7xRobert Drouhin sale of ‘45 DRC Romanee Conti - 17x estimate, $550k per bottle, a world record bottle priceAuction market good at maximizing value for wines that have appreciated and for re-setting prices, not good at launching new winesCritics scores less important post-Robert Parker. No one has the same influence. People now aggregate 2-3 different critics scores, market-moving away from itThe Auction Buyer - getting more diverse from all anglesMostly men, wish there were more females50% of 1st-time buyers in their 20s and 30s50% of Hong Kong buyers in their 20s and 30s60% worldwide buyers in 30s and 40sIn 1990, the average age of a buyer was 65Used to be heavy finance-driven, now more tech and real estateAsia and N America consistent, with Mexico and Brazil buyers coming in and outThe Auction Seller3 D’s - debt, death, and divorce -> even more with Covid; + doctor’s orders for wineMost people have purchased too much wine, they can’t consume it in their lifetime, so it goes on saleWhen people have children, they entertain at home more -> drives more buying Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments in the wine industry.In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung interview Tom Lutz, Founder & Creator of Repour Wine Saver, one of the leading new inventions in wine preservation technology.  We discuss the technology, how people have learned about it, the differences between Coravin and Repour, and what the future holds.  Other topics covered in this episode include:Tom is a chemist by trade (worked in biodiesel, aquarium products)Repour was invented when he had a newborn son and ended up pouring half bottles of wine down the drain.Technology: Uses food grade oxygen absorbersBinds the oxygen, of which the atmosphere has 21%, does not replace it.Requires air to exchange and remove the oxygen, so the bottle needs to be stored verticallyThe capacity of the stopperBuilt for 5 pours of one bottle, glass by glass - this would expose the wine to 1,500 ml of air.The max amount a stopper has to handle is 2,000 ml of air.Uses recyclable materials. However, many municipal grids have 3”x3” grids that filter out small objects; for large customers, they do take back repours to recyclePricingConsumer: 4-pack ($8.99 / $2.25 each), 10-pack ($17.99 / $1.80 each), 72-pack ($120 / $1.67 each)There are often promotions via the email list.The future target price point is $1/stopper or lower.Trade: 4x72-pack (288 stoppers) - starts at $0.83 / stopperCustomers Started with on-premise (restaurants)With COVID - moved more to consumers.Wineries - have been using for virtual tastings and wine club gifts, also several doing custom branding.Coravin vs. Repour - both work. Coravin is better for tasting and cellaring wine.  Repour is for enjoying wine like you normally would and saving the remainder of the bottle for later.Marketing Mostly word of mouthAfter 1 year of testing the science, Tom started with a local sommelier group that did a blind tasting, and Repour worked great.TEXSOM - gave out samples, and many conversations have come back to that eventDuration of effectiveness - weeks or months, Repour has tested out to 6-7 months.The Future - potentially replaceable inserts, sparkling wine and possibly showing how much oxygen-absorbing capacity is left.If you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments in the wine industry.In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung interview Greg Lambrecht, Founder & Chairman of Coravin, leading wine preservation and access technology.  We discuss the technology, how to get the most out of the Coravin, how people learn about coravin, and what is in store for the future. Other topics covered in this episode include:Greg fell in love with wine in Napa at age 16Works in medical devicesWas frustrated with how to explore wine without committing to the whole bottleCoravin’s goal: to change the way wine is served and soldFounding: 1st prototype - 1999A patent filed - 2004Company founded - 2011The product launched - 2013Technology - basic components existed before Coravin but needed a lot of refinementSurgical grade needle - started with 3 typesGases - started with 4 types (CO2, helium, argon, & nitrogen)Gas pressure - biggest invention is the pressure regulatorCapsule usesDon’t hold the trigger for a long time; use multiple very short presses to get the most out of the capsule; Want to hear as little as possible when the Coravin is tilted back upThe average is 15 full glasses/capsule - can get up to 20-24 if used right@ 15 glasses/capsule, each glass is ~$0.50 for argon gasCoravin modelsModel 3 - $199 (entry pricing) - all the functionality, but only in grey and single designModel 5-6 - has different colors and finishesModel 11 - removed hand clamp, now uses a smart clamp (which is now across the range); automatic pourer - can set up the amount to pour on you phoneNeedlesVintage needle (silver ring) - pours more slowly, can use up to 19th-century winesFast flow needle (red ring) - 30%+ faster, can use for corks up to 15 years old, mostly for restaurantsStandard needle (black ring) - can use up to wines from the 1960sProfessional needle (gold ring) - rare and expensive, like a blend of the vintage needle and standard needleNeed to replace needle every 500-1,000 uses, if it’s hard to insert the needle and/or there is silver at the end (the Teflon is wearing off), it’s time to replace the needleCut foil to improve needle lifeDon’t use on synthetic corks, vinolok (glass corks)Northern Italian wines and Diam corks - corks are harder and reduce needle life, but okay to useFor best usage - use the 4 C’sClean - need to wash it after use, rinse with hot water through the spout at the end of the eveningClear - give the trigger a quick press before you go onto the next bottleCellar - still need to protect the bottle and store wine as you would for agingCork - don’t use on bad corks - a simple trick, push down on a cork, if it slides, don’t use CoravinThe drop of wine at the top - when you remove the needle, it drags a bead of wine as the cork closes, does not mean the cork has not sealed“Cold and old” - colder and older bottles have less elastic corks and take longer to heal. Leave them standing up for five minutes before putting in the cellarCoravin screwcapMarkets that wines will last for 3 months, but has seen 10-18 monthsTrick - only need 1 screwcap module for long-term storage, put the original screwcap back on after pouring with Coravin, and will be fineCoravin marketing - how people hear about it#1 - at wineries - for pouring library wines, etc.… #2 - restaurants and wine bars#3 - at a friend’s home (word of mouth) - this is becoming the #1-way people hear about it in the USDistributionIn 60+ countriesStart almost exclusively in trade. Over time, consumer demand outstrips tradeUS - 80-90% sold to consumers, China - predominantly tradeWith the Covid pandemic - 75% of business is now onlineThe Future - the mission is to make it faster, easier, and more fun than opening a bottle; sparkling wine is in the worksAn MW tested preservation technologies for his research paper, and the Coravin was the only product that workedIf you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments in the wine industry.In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung interview Paul Yanon, Vice President of Wine, for Colangelo & Partners, a New York-based PR agency focused on wine, food, and spirits.  We discuss the differences between working with European vs. American wineries, how the return on investment (“ROI”) is changing in the PR space, and how Justin Timberlake and ‘N SYNC have parallels with wine PR.  Other topics covered in this episode include:Paul is Australian and grew up around wine. His move to the US provided more insight into European and South American wines.Colangelo & Partners - founded in 2006, the largest fine wine agency in the US with ~55 peoplePR scope: Media relations (traditional)Digital (e.g., TikTok, Twitch, Instagram, Facebook)EventsWriters need good content, and PR people need conversations to get content out there.PR can bridge what’s in the bottle with the how and why of the wine - important for critics to have a full understanding.Publications are moving to a younger audience - includes connecting on digital platforms.Digital helps track ROI - final conversion to sale is the “holy grail,”; historically measured by “page space,” now using more robust metrics, including “share of voice.”Geographic differences in working with clientsEuropeans - more trust that agency knows the US marketAmericans - debate using a PR firm in NYC vs. locally, want PR agency to be an extension of the teamCriteria for a wine brand to be a good fit for PR - need volume, access, and availabilityDirect-to-consumer (“DTC”) channels can be more cost-efficient than trade - don’t require as much face to face interaction.Trade requires messaging for both consumers and trade, need to be in front of trade, and need a reason to displace another brand off their list.Campaign Examples: Portuguese Cork Association - found historic (Hamilton era) Madeira bottles - had them resealed with cork and auctioned off. The effort was filmed, and a museum exhibit was created; showcased how cork has performed over the centuries.Napa Valley Vintners - had Shake Shack participate in a promotion.Wine PR agencies are a good place for sommeliers to work - good storytellers who have a passion for the product.If you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments in the wine industry.In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung interview Morgan Moore, Director, and Alex Fondren, Associate Director, of Glodow Nead Communications, one of the largest independent lifestyle PR agencies focused on hospitality, food and beverage, retail, and real estate.  We discuss how wine is consumable art, the relevancy of trade magazines and wine critics, and how Glodow Nead creates partnerships between clients to develop great synergies.  Other topics covered in this episode include:Glodow Nead - started in the entertainment industry (“meat in seats”), the 1st West Coast agency to have offices in Asia (Singapore, Shanghai)Sample beverage clients: Plumpjack Group, Pine Ridge, Donum Estate, Seghesio, Bodega Garzon (Uruguay), Phantom Creek Estates (Okanagan Valley, Canada)PR firms - the primary job is to secure earned mediaEarned media - articles (or broadcast, social media) that are not an advertisement, has not been paid for or in exchange for the product; more trusted than paid mediaWine is “consumable art” that can’t be compared to any other consumer productWine critics are still relevant - for collectors, at point of saleTrade magazines shifting focus - Wine Enthusiast has been promoting celebrity winesWine coverage has grown beyond trade magazines to other media3 goals for PR firms for wineries: drive sales, brand awareness, & brand relevancyBusiness model: monthly retainer, 1-year contracts with a 30-day notice for cancellation; generally $5-20,000 per monthPR ROI: give earned media the same value as a paid advertisement (e.g., a 1-page feature article in Travel + Leisure may be worth $5-10,000 as the cost of the equivalent advertisement)Article lead timesLong lead times - e.g., Wine Spectator works 6 months in advanceMedium lead times - e.g., San Francisco or Los Angeles Magazine work 3 months in advanceShorter lead times - e.g., Wine Spectator Online works within the weekGlodow Nead differentiationMore than just wine - can bring more stories to more journalists, including lifestyle publicationsGlobal clients - journalists get more excited about the potential to write about topics globallyPartnerships between clients (e.g., hotels, resorts, celebrity chefs)Big events departmentExample campaigns: Plumpjack Winery - hired Glodow Nead because of entertainment experience - wanted to bottle their most expensive wine in screwcaps - the screwcap vs. cork campaign was one of the most successful everFlowers Winery - opened a new tasting room and articles about it drove traffic to their sitePartnership Examples: St Regis SF’s Polo Cup with Hamel Family Wines, Ritz Carlton Lake Tahoe, hosted high-end wine dinners and private dinners with wine clients, Napa Valley Wine Train hosts winemaker dinners and spotlight tastingsTraits for good wine PR people - 1st be obsessed with media, then wine knowledgeIf you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments in the wine industry.In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung interview Stephanie Teuwen, President and Co-Founder of Teuwen Communications, an award-winning, PR agency focused on food, wine, and spirits.  We discuss what a PR firm does in wine, how wine PR differs from other consumer brands PR, and the business model of PR. Other topics covered in this episode include:Stephanie’s background - in restaurants, from Provence, FranceFounded Teuwen Communications, splitting from a larger PR firm, to support a single restaurantGoals of a PR firm - build and expand awareness; support sales (PR efforts need to go back to the bottom line)Scope of PR effortsEarned mediaThe PR firm is a strategic storyteller to journalistsWritten, video, podcasts, audioBuild relationships with media, work as a team with journalists70% of the press is driven by media and public relationsWritten publications often plan out 6 months in advanceMajor wine magazines - have a core base that reads them, but pivoted to move a lot of content online, important for tradeGets ~100-500 articles / year for clientsInfluencer marketingInfluencers need to have a true voiceVoice should resonate with their audienceInfluencers important to democratize wineAdvertising - Often to amplify the voices of other effortsEvents - both virtual and in-personMeasuring sales and PR impact - through traffic and sales on the website, anecdotes from customers, how the brand is portrayedThe difference between wine PR and non-winePassion for the productWine knowledge, highly technical - often have wine certificationsDon’t work with celebrities - a different area of PRWineries need good distribution (either direct-to-consumer or trade) to make PR investment worthwhileBusiness model - min investment ~$50-60,000 per yearCampaign example - Wines of Alsace - “Alsace Rocks”Trying to engage with a younger audience360 campaign - trade, events, influencer marketingThe client now rolling out globallyIf you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments in the wine industry.In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung interview Carlos de Jesus, Director of Marketing and Communications for Amorim Cork in Portugal, the largest cork company in the world which is celebrating its 150 year anniversary in 2020.  We discuss the various uses of cork, the differences between corks and other closures, and how the business of cork has evolved over the decades. Other topics covered in this episode include:Amorim - 150-year history, largest cork company in the world, produces 5.5 billion stoppers per year, over 18,000 winery clients globally, most smallSources cork from 1,000s of property owners, mostly in Portugal and SpainUses of cork: wine, footwear, fishing, aerospace, flooring, and sportsDifferences between cork and other closures: technical, sustainability, and additional value addTechnical differencesOxygen transfer rate (OTR) - plastic (lets in too much oxygen), screwcap (lets in too little), cork (“just right”)Average cork has 800 million cells in itTCA - “we have defeated TCA” - mitigated to the point where cork is now gaining market shareConsistency of corks - not an issue for technical stoppers (micro agglomerates, twin top), the technology used to help with natural corksSustainability - people, planet, profitsCO2 - a single cork can have up to 562 g CO2 sink per stopperCork harvesting one of the best paid agricultural jobs, ~€125-135 / day for three months/yearCork forests one of 36 hot spots for biodiversity in the worldAlso fights forest fires, regulates water cycles, and trees live 200-250 yearsCorks are both compostable and recyclable (e.g. - ReCORK America)Additional value add = the happy sound of a cork poppingOf 100 most sold brands in the US (data from Nielson), the average price of wine with cork  is consistently higher than other closuresClosure market19.5B closures per year12.5B closed with cork (~70%)1.8-1.9B single-use plastic stoppersThe price of cork ranges from €0.04 - 3.00 per corkScrewcaps (the lowest price), plastic, corkCork can now sometimes undercut the price of plasticSupply and demand for cork2.2M hectares of cork forests in the Western Mediterranean - lots of trees to supply the current industryTakes 43 years for a cork tree to supply cork for a wine closure -> new research with micro-irrigation is reducing the first harvest from 25 years to 10-12 yearsIf you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments in the wine industry.In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung interview Brian Retherford, founder of Claudine Wines, a modern, American micro-negociant.  We discuss the wine market inefficiencies that make a negociant model possible, how the wines of Claudine differ from the wineries’ wines, and where the best deals will be going forward. Other topics covered in this episode include:Brain’s background - 15 years in the US Army, now a cybersecurity consultantStarted by doing a Crushpad project - micro winemaking project that ended up being too expensive with insufficient qualityTypes of negociant modelsBuying fruitBuying bulk wineBuying finished wine in a barrel - Claudine’s main focusBuying bottled wineMarket inefficiencies in the wine industryTakes 3-4 years from harvest decision to selling wine, which creates supply/demand mismatchesOther opportunities: tasting room that burnt down in the fires, the winery decided not to release a wine it made to focus on the core region, yield variations year to year creating more wineWhat can Claudine put on the wine labelTry to be as specific as possible - using the AVA, but can’t discuss producer, winemaker, or vineyards usuallyOften shares a copy of language with winery before releasingSustainability of the businessKeep small scale (3-5 barrel projects) and do more projects vs bigger projectsFocus on higher-value - if a similar wine could be bought at Costco, won’t do the projectCurating great product and building customer trust over timeDifferences between Claudine and the winery’s wineMight be the same - “the last 100 cases off the line” or already bottled wineSome wine that didn’t make it into the final blend and have extra barrelsThe wine bulk marketBifurcated between top juice and commodity winesThe upper end is more competitiveWinery options other than negociants to sell excess wineDon’t produce (often not done b/c the marginal cost to produce is small)Lower price (not a popular option in the US)Sell to flash sale sites (e.g. - Last Bottle, WTSO)Wine gets “poured out” or destroyedClaudine customer demographicsCA - had wine events pre-COVIDNY, Boston, Kansas City - where Brian used to liveBrian knows about 1 in 10 customers nowSkews older in the age groupUpcoming deals - likely good opportunities by focusing on deepening relationship in NapaIf you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments in the wine industry.In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung interview Juliana Colangelo, Vice President of Colangelo & Partners’ San Francisco Office.  Colangelo & Partners is an integrated communications agency for food, wine, and spirits brands.  Robert and Peter discuss how wine brands should plan, execute, and measure the results of social media influencer campaigns, covering details like budget, how to find the right influencers, and what to expect from the campaign.  Other topics covered in this episode include:Why use influencers? 74% of people use social networks for purchasing decisionsReach younger audience - 44% of Gen Z drinking more during COVIDBuild brand awarenessInfluencer marketing a convergence of earned (journalist driven) and paid media advertisingInfluencer platformsMostly Instagram - IG reels (new) are like TikTokTikTok and YouTube a littleWeb blogsContent - what are you trying to say about your brand? Get real-life situations with brandOwn the content and can incorporate into brand social and web strategiesOutcomes - brand awareness, build a social following, email signups, salesBased on the brand business model - availability of DTC, etcTracking - UTM codes in links with story swipes, follower counts around a campaignBudget - based on the size of influencers and campaignBy influencer followingNano - 1.5-2.5k followersMicro - 2.5-15k followers; ~$250/postMid-tier - 20-100k followers; ~$750-1,000/postMacro - 200k+ Celebrities - start at $250kSome influencers post organically (just for the product)Some influencers have media kits with pricingOther costsAgency to manage campaign - find target influencers, negotiate influencer contractsProduct and shippingOptional: Advertising behind social media strategyNormally at least 5 influencer partners, around the same time to create buzzGoals - smaller wineries target general brand awareness, larger wineries often want to promote a specific wine or new campaignTypes of influencers - 50/50 on non-beverage vs beverage influencers, depending on the audience the brand is trying to reachTypes of contentPostsStories - usually 3-4 frames, usually cheaper than posts since they are less produced and more casualVideo (YouTube, other) - more expensiveWeb blog - more permanent, hits SEOFinding influencers - Colangelo uses DoveTaleLook at the following and engagement rateContent subject (e.g. - have they posted about wine before?)Tone of contentProduction qualityLonger-term relationships - can be like a brand ambassador, multiple touchpoints for consumersThe brand direction of contentIf only sending product - no controlPaid contract - can have brand guidelines (hashtags, tone of voice, keywords, can ask to see content before posted)Calls to action: follow the brand page, swipe up, promote events/ticket link, donate for fundraising/auctionsBest campaign: Prosecco DOC for Prosecco week - did video content, food pairings, partnered with ~350 retailers and 15-20 influencersIf you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments in the wine industry.In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung interview wine influencer Nicole Muscari (Instagram: @grapechic).  Nicole tells Robert and Peter about her journey from a career in dance to fashion and then into wine.  Having built a 23.5k+ Instagram following and launching a wine blog, Nicole has become the Private Client Sales rep for the Northeast for Chateau de Pommard. Other topics covered in this episode include:BFA in dance, her first job was with Carnival Cruise LineWorked at Walt Disney World and wanted to be Princess JasmineVisited Napa in 2014 and fell in love with wineQuintessa was the experience that stood out, and she’s still in their wine clubFounding member of The Chelsea Wine SocietyStarted when Charlotte (thelondonwinegirl) was in NYCInvited a group of Instagram wine folks to a Chapel Down tastingBecame a study group for WSET coursesMembers would post on IG, which got wineries wanting to send them wines and do tastingsFellow Instagrammer (idream.o.vino) asked her if she was interested in wine as a job and introduced her to her current jobPrivate Client Sales for Chateau de PommardManages direct sales for the Northeast USLaunching a members-only, interactive platform soonPay a yearly membership feeLive experiences for wines/regions from all over the worldWine advisors host experiencesGet sent small tasting tubes to tryOption to buy the winesSocial media platformsInstagram focus, started 3 years ago, was part of the “1st wave” of wine influencers - grew to 10,000 followers in 1st year, lots of engagement to grow base (answering comments / DMs)Has FB, Twitter - just mirror contentPinterest - never pinnedSocial has a side hustlePress trips, samples, sponsored postsDoes ~2 paid sponsorships/monthInteracting with wine brandsTransparency is key - say right off the bat if you want to just send samples or do a paid partnershipEmail is preferred over DMsHas media kitRegular posts (usually with 3-5 stories)IGTV tastings with brandsLive Tastings (30 mins about the wines)Website / blog packages#ad - reach is usually less than without itPaid sponsorships - a brand can boost the posts (Gerard Bertrand did this on Facebook)Successful partnershipsLovejadot - Giveaways, Instagram Live, and PostsWine regions - Vinho Verde, Loire Valley, Discover BojoPrint vs social mediaPrint is longer-lasting, enables search, good SEO articles have a greater impact than socialInstagram gets more engagement, but because it’s easier, posts die after a whileInstagram demographics55% male, 45% femaleFemale younger (25-35), male (35-45)US, Italy, France, UK, BrazilCities - NY, Paris, LondonContent StrategyCloser photos work better than further awayThe wine matters - better wines get more engagementKnown for her shoe collectionWine education - adds value to the contentIf you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments in the wine industry.In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung interview John Jackson (Instagram: @attorneysomm), an attorney by day, wine drinker by night.  We ask John about how he got started in wine blogging and built his 11,000+ Instagram account in less than two years.  Robert and Peter discuss the methods John used to build his following, the Sips Around the Globe Initiative (Instagram: @sips.aroundtheglobe), and how he works with wineries to build their brand awareness. Other topics covered in this episode include:2007 Opus One - the wine that got him into wineHis favorite wines - Northern Rhones and older winesStart with InstagramNov 2018 - when he transitioned his personal account to attorneysommUsed it as a creative outlet for his business travelPosts 2-3x/week because of large time commitment to respond and engage with followers, he gets ~200 comments per postOther social platformsFacebook - mostly just mirrors the postsTwitter - just started trying to figure this outTikTok - claimed the name, but haven’t done much yetWine education - in the process of doing the WSET DiplomaFollowing demographics~33% US, Italy, France, Brazil (6.5%), UK60% male, 40% female82% 25-55 years oldGrowing his followershipTrips and winery tours built some followersWatched YouTube videos on how to grow followers for a monthStaggers content to not be too repetitiveGood content is keyResponding to peopleSupporting others who support himMistakes in growing followersFollow for follow backPosted more about restaurants vs wine - good to have a niche in the algorithm, moved food content to storiesSips Around the GlobeGroup of 11 influencers, each in a different country>100k collective followersWorks with wineries to reach a broad range of people globallyBrands send wine and work on a schedule, usually a 2-week collaborationEach influencer has a different angleWineries choose which countries to post inMostly European producers so farStarted in May 2020 - IG page has 1,500+ followers (July 2020)Content that worksHigh-quality price ratio (“QPR”) wines1st growth Bordeaux gets the most engagementLayout formats don’t do as well as regular picturesConsistency in what you’re posting aboutWorking with wineriesPayment sometimes in samples, sometimes in cashNeed to enjoy the brand and the wines to have consistency for followersTakes into account winery size and meansIG LivesWineries mostly reached out to himHave done Chateau Lagrange and Charles HeidsieckIf you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments in the wine industry.In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung interview Taylor Wilson (Instagram: @thiswaywithtay) about becoming a full-time wine influencer on Instagram from a career in real estate. Robert and Peter discuss how Taylor’s mother’s love of wine inspired her to learn more about it, wine education, building an 18,000+ IG following in one year, and how certain clothing choices can help engagement. Other topics covered in this episode include:Inspiration of wine love from Taylor’s motherWine Education - WSET 2 at Napa Valley Wine Academy - enabled her to ask winemakers more educated questionsStart as a travel blogger while a real estate agent with a degree in fashionOther social platformsTried TikTokWants to expand into Pinterest, YouTubeAbout to launch a blogFocus on food and wine pairingNow full-time InstagramContent creationWrites captions the morning of posts to harness more creativity and authenticity, not as pre-plannedSpends ~20 hours/week on InstagramEngagement with wine brands~10 brands / day reach out on DM~50% for samples / ~50% for business requestsNobody asks to post for free anymoreWine Access relationshipThey are looking for more awarenessAt the beginning - pay per post + $/new customerUsed link in bio and swipe up to trackAlso did a discount code for trackingLouis JadotGiveaway for 1 year IG anniversary2 Zalto glassesHierarchy of paid relationshipsLowest - posts for free productsStoriesGiveawaysPaid postsMost successful partnershipsWine Access - longest runningBurgundy - going to do a new, big campaignLove Jadot giveaway - best 1 postSends stats a week later to brands, wants to track more statsDetermining wine brands to work withMust be authentic with brand / IGMax 2 things / week goal -> story must be about Taylor’s wine journeySays no to a lot of things and free wineOften tries the wine first before agreeing to promotions# giveaway / contest - IG blocks the promotionUses brands’ contracts now, but will develop her own soonMedia KitShows pricing, demographics of followers, engagementChanged pricing 5-6x in the last 4 months -> as followers grew, one of the highest engagement in the industryFollowing18k+ followers65% male, 35% female25-54 years oldUS (NY, Seattle, W Coast), London, ParisUS, Italy, France, UK, BrazilBuilding a following18k in 1 yearBeing consistentPosting regularly - didn’t post for 1 week, took 2.5 months to get back Comment on every commentFinding like minded people in the community - other wine blog girls, etc…Replying to DM’s (IG loves this)HashtagsUsed hashtag generators at the beginningMade a list of relevant hashtags by size (small - up to 65k, med - up to 200k, large - 1M+ posts) - pulled a few from each sectionUsed to used 30, now 20, some say magic number is 7-14Mistakes - not replying after posting, not posting for a whilePosting as creative outletCan make borderline inappropriate captions in postsThe “Tay” poseAdvice for brandsEmail influencers, DMs are fullA lot goes behind postsInfluencers are a great tool, people trust usIf you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments in the wine industry.In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung interview Georgia Panagopoulou (Instagram: @wine.gini) about creating digital content on social media and supporting wineries in the digital marketing space. Robert and Peter discuss Georgia’s experience with the OIV Masters of Wine Management, how she built her brand and @wine.gini, and working with wineries to tell their stories as both a wine ambassador and digital marketer. Other topics covered in this episode include:Falling in love with wine in Spain - through a university exchange with the Erasmus programGetting a Masters in Chemical Engineering and how she approaches communication with an engineering mindsetMoving to Santorini, the center of wine in GreeceOIV Master of Wine Management - traveling to 30 wine-producing countries, based in France, mostly for wine entrepreneurs and executivesMoving to New Zealand - to blend the old world and new world perspectivesEngaging with wineriesSmaller wineries want her to travel to the property and work as a wine ambassador telling the storyBigger brands mostly want wine placement and building brand awarenessBrainstorms with brands on how to bring more value than just executing what they wantZonin Project - annually invite sommeliers to the property, engaged Georgia to work as a social media ambassador for the eventGreek wineries - mostly use traditional marketing techniques currentlyMeasures of successMostly brand awareness - people reached / impressionsDon’t really ask her to sell wineWine.gini audience (100k+ followers)Both wine lovers and wine professionalsTop markets: US, UK, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, & Brazil25-50 years old50/50 split male/femaleWays to grow a social followingMuch easier in 2017 (when she started) - could get 100 followers/day easily, if you posted a lot, IG would promote you, started posting pics of herself to do more storytelling and created a personal style and brandHit 40,000 followers in 1 yearToday - more difficult to build a following - do advertising, be super niche and special, or post bikini or ab photosWays to not grow a following todayFollow and unfollow peopleInteract with accounts that aren’t relevant Don’t fall into the trap of always doing what works well, vs expressing your unique styleWineries want help building the story and better communicate with consumers to get the right message outIf you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments so you always know what goes into your bottle.In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung interview Amanda McCrossin (Instagram/YouTube: @sommvivant; former Sommelier at Press Napa Valley) about creating content on social media and telling the stories behind the wines. Robert and Peter discuss how Amanda works with wine brands on telling their story, her theatre background, and best practices for wine influencers and for brands to interact with them. Other topics covered in this episode include:Background in theatre, film, & TV - has always loved being on screenRestaurants got her into wine, wine education helped her get sommelier jobsFormer Sommelier and Wine Director at Press Napa Valley - a “life-changing” decisionThe lack of discussion of the history of Napa Valley was the inspiration to start her social media channels (e.g. - a vlog to track wineries in Napa to visit, creating an access point for people to learn about wine)Finding community on social - often through DMsFollower demographics:YouTube (~6k followers) - heavy male (65%+), 30-60 years oldIG (~24k followers) - heavy female, ~25-50 years oldMales seem to enjoy longer form contentVery diverse group: trade, consumers, aspirational collectors, momsGlobal audience: US big, then South AmericaCOVID pandemic has increased viewershipContent monetization - 70% non-paid, 30% paidYouTube content often more for brand awarenessTailoring content for the audienceAs an influencer, need to be steadfast in beliefsListen to the audience - DM’s, engagement -> more than numbersAdvice for brands & influencersPR agencies can helpAs a brand, you get what you pay forBrands need to do due diligence to see how it will reflect on the brand (e.g. - dig into comments)Prefers to work on a long-term basis: more like a brand ambassador modelTypes of content: posts, IG Live, YouTube videos, webinars, speaking engagements; very little on FacebookBelieves the stigma around paid content is untrueFeedback from brandsMostly positiveOne winery -> says they get 20-30 signups per postBuilding a following - “don’t take the easy way”Build organicallyRespond to comments, engage with others, follow othersKevin Kelly - the “1,000 true fans” essay - about finding your tribeIf you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments so you always know what goes into your bottle.In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung interview Charlie Fu (Instagram: @clayfu.wine and Wine Berserkers moderator: c fu) about wine collecting and the impact of social media. Robert and Peter discuss how Charlie got into wine, his engagement in Wine Berserkers, and how he uses Instagram and Cellar Tracker to discuss and engage with other serious wine lovers about wine. Other topics covered in this episode include:Charlie’s background - “Attorney by day, wine drinker at all other times”The “epiphany wine” - 2003 Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernet SauvignonFavorite wines - Burgundy, Northern RhoneInstagramStarted with photos of his dog, food, then went into wineSplit out a wine-focused IG pageInterested in talking to people who are serious about wineThe importance of honesty and candidness of wine opinionsPuts wine notes into IG, migrates to Cellar Tracker, and posts some to Wine Berserkers for discussionWine Charity AuctionDuring the protests around police brutalitySold raffle tickets for donations and auctioned off wines donated from collectors’ cellarsRaised $60k in 42 hours, plus other contributionsMoney donated to NAACP Legal Defense FundLeveraged Wine Berserkers (largest contributor), Instagram, Reddit, Facebook Wine BerserkersFounding - an offshoot from the Robert Parker web forumUser base - >27,500 users, ~3 million posts, upwards of ~2,400 online at a single timeMostly maleMed age - ~late 40s/early 50sSerious wine collectorsWell educated, high incomeBerserkers DayAn annual event where producers sell their wineCan offer anything, but usually interesting wines at a special priceSome wines balance their budget on that dayBerserkers business accountsAnnual serviceBusinesses can advertise and promote their winesHelps with server costsGrand Cru CruAnnual subscriptionNo adsPriority access to Berserker DayBlurbs on avatarVariable payment (min $25/year)Tips for wineries -> join the communityBeing a “wine influencer”Doesn’t accept wine for freeDoesn’t want taking wine to tarnish his opinionWilling to buy wine and review itIf you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments so you always know what goes into your bottle.In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung interview Super Bowl Champion and founder of The Wine MVP wine club Will Blackmon about his love of wine and how he ended up in the wine business. Robert and Peter discuss the NFL and wine, how Will got into wine, and the business of The Wine MVP. Other topics covered in this episode include:The influence of Charles Woodson of wine on the NFLReverse blind tasting the wine Will’s dad drankWill’s love of wine - the importance of context and the experience, including the story and the historyImportance of wine education - the language, understanding, and respect for Will’s passion for wineThe NFL Wine Guy - the impact of an article on Will on the front page of USA Today SportsWill’s wine travel bucket list - Lynch-Bages, Lafite, Catena, Champagne, AlsaceThe dream of launching a wine brand...the key is being able to sell the wineThe Wine MVP - a new wine club - Carefully curated wines“All Access” - learn about wine together with Will2 premium bottles every month, $79.98, shipping includedHas the luxury feel, but for everyone and educationalWine trading cards - has the wine stats, food pairings, Will’s notesYouTube channel - educational, approachable videos about the winesConcierge side - tours, trips, centered around wine educationFilling the cellars of NFL playersUsing social media platforms to get the word out - Instagram the most effective for WillEducation videos on Instagram translating into wine club signupsNFL vs NBA with wine Athlete and celebrity wine brandsIf you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments so you always know what goes into your bottle.In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung discuss building and managing a brand page on social media for wineries, retailers, and other wine businesses. Robert and Peter discuss how to get started, build followership, engage with your audience, and then create calls to action. This episode will give you a head start and helpful tips on how to manage a brand page on social media. Other topics covered in this episode include:Claiming your real estate - getting the usernames/handles across social platformsCreating consistent content - you’re training the audience’s expectations based on the content you shareBuilding followership - content, hashtags, linksWho to follow and following others as an awareness strategyEngaging your audience - the need to not only build followership but engage and interact with your audienceCreating call to actions - getting people to sign up, buy, or participate in actions off of the social platformCampaigns, giveaways, and contests - using these methods to create engagement and actionThe tradeoffs of managing the brand account in-house vs outsourcedIf you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments, so you always know what goes into your bottle.In this episode, Robert Vernick and co-host Peter Yeung discuss social media for wineries and the importance of creating your social presence to grow your brand and build a solid client base. Robert and Peter will delve into the pros and cons of each social media platform, as well as managing your brand page, social media influencers, and social media paid advertising. This episode will help you to navigate the continually changing world of social media, even if you’re a newbie, and discover how to create more compelling content and branding for your winery business. Other topics covered in this episode include:Best platforms to use, specifically for wineriesBest practices for starting in social media for your businessTailoring content for different social media platformsThe benefits and downfalls of individual social media platformsThe importance of social media for a wine brandHow to engage your customer base and attract and find new customersSocial media influencers - how to engage, interact, and pair with the right onesThe pros and cons of having multiple social media pagesCall-to-actions: what are they, and how do I use them to benefit my businessHow to leverage social paid advertisingTrends versus fads; what’s coming and what’s on its way out the doorIf you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments so you always know what goes into your bottle.In this episode host Robert Vernick and co-host Peter Yeung wrap up their series on standing out from the crowd. This episode will focus on the evolution of brand marketing and what wineries should be doing to keep up with trends.Stay tuned to hear Robert and Peter’s thoughts on the current stage of evolution, how Covid-19 is accelerating that evolution, and which marketing techniques are trends versus fads.Topics covered in today’s episode:How Covid-19 is accelerating the adoption of new technology.Why you have to understand your audience to effectively leverage influencers.Creating a successful brand campaign: Understanding your persona and creating virality.The importance of utilizing multi-channel marketing.Is text messaging the future of consumer engagement?Why the adoption of a live chat feature on websites can be helpful.Understanding the basics of digital marketing: SEO and SEM.Is augmented reality a viable future technology for the industry?Expanding experiences and engendering connection to your brand.Taking experiences to the consumer.How persona can transcend product quality and which brands have done it.Resurgence of old techniques: Mailers, phone calls and why lockdown has increased their effectiveness.The success of incentivizing referrals.Trends and fads: What will still be here in the future?If you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments so you always know what goes into your bottle.In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung continue their series on standing out from the crowd. This episode will focus on the classic business models of how brands were built.Stay tuned to hear Robert and Peter’s thoughts on the three main models wineries use for branding, what works and what needs to change in a post-Covid-19 world.Topics covered in today’s episode:Why wine quality and critic scores alone are no longer the key factor in success.The three classic business models: cult, trade and hospitality.How cult brands foster a business model based on scarcity.Two types of wine demand: consumption and investment.Trade models and the importance of relationship building.How the increase in sommeliers has altered the influence of distributors.Leveraging pedigrees and influence in trade nationally and globally.The necessity of pivoting to direct selling for small wineries unable to crack the trade channel.The boom in hospitality over the last 30 years.The importance of creating experiences.The emergence of cross-marketing.If you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments so you always know what goes into your bottle.In this episode, host Robert Vernick and co-host Peter Yeung begin a multi-part series about how wineries can stand out from the crowd. This first episode will focus on how to use and leverage wine scores.Stay tuned to hear Robert and Peter’s thoughts about the impact of wine scores on businesses, the importance of building your brand and how the advent of social media has changed how consumers are exposed to brands.Topics covered in today’s episode:The increase in the amount of wine brands nationally and globally.Winemakers often underestimate the necessity of branding.Analysis from Luxury Wine Marketing  of Wine Advocate 100 point scores over the last 20 years.How the amount of wine brands has lessened the impact of high scores.The expansion of wine critics and what it means for how scores are valued and used.How the relationship between consumers, scores and critics has changed.The necessity of building brand reputation.Critics as their own brand: What that means for how they score.Crowdsourced scores: How aggregate score websites are changing the industry.The increase in the cost of customer acquisition.If you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments so you always know what goes into your bottle.On this edition of the podcast, host Robert Vernick and co-host Peter Yeung interview Tim Marson, MW. He is the senior wine buyer at Wine.com, a website which has experienced a surge in popularity due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Tim has been in the industry for 23 years from retail, to independent specialists, to wine buying. Wine.com is the leading wine commerce website and ships to 42 states and D.C with a wide range of customers.Tim discusses how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected Wine.com, consumer habits and marketing tactics his company has deployed during these times.Topics covered in today’s episode:How Wine.com saw an instant surge in demand during lockdown.The positive financial impact and customer base growth due to the pandemic.The 3 M’s that contribute to steady growth: Millennials, Mobile and Members.Wine.com’s Stewardship program and how it engenders consumer loyalty.Decreasing bottle prices vs. increasing units sold.Why Wine.com had to reduce the amount of SKU’s in inventory during the pandemic.How restaurant closures impacted allocations and wine availability.Disruptions in the supply chain.Why staffing had to be dramatically ramped up.Utilizing online chat functions to create consumer connections.Viral marketing and changing the way consumers participate in tastings.Check out Wine.comIf you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments so you always know what goes into your bottle.In this episode host Robert Vernick and co-host Peter Yeung interview Lauren McPhate. Lauren is Director of Sales at Tribeca Wine Merchants in downtown Manhattan. Her experience with wine began in Hong Kong where she worked as Communication and Events Manager for Ginsberg + Chan.Lauren discusses how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected Tribeca Wine merchants and the current buying habits of the consumer.Stay tuned to hear about what Lauren thinks the future of wine sales look like for the industry and Tribeca Wine Merchants, as well as how they are making the best of lockdown.Topics covered in today’s episode:How the shutdown of New York affected store operations.The disparity in mask culture between the US and Asia.Online business: How has the response rate changed since lockdown?How tariffs are impacting wine pricing more than Covid-19.Consumer trends and how product purchases are differing.Experimenting in lockdown: Why people are changing buying habits.Gaining new customers now vs. before the pandemic.Changing marketing strategies.The importance of an online presence.Why you should take this time to build strong client relationships.The disparity between volume of orders and revenue.How clients are being more thoughtful during this time.Tribeca Wine MerchantsIf you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.