Category: Winery Info

Vineyard with winery and mountain

Exploring the PNW Wineries’ Ongoing Commitment to Sustainability Practices 

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By: Becky Garrison, Staff Writer

The Pacific Northwest wine community’s ethos to care for the land and community can be traced back to the pioneering settlers who traveled to the Oregon Territory and began planting grapes in the 1840s. In recent years, a growing number of these wineries have obtained various sustainability certifications that demonstrate their ongoing commitment to social and environmental performance, public transparency, and accountability. 

  For example, stewardship has been a key principle at Willamette Valley Vineyards (Turner, Oregon) since its inception in 1983. They were part of the founding of Low Input Viticulture and Enology (LIVE), a 501(c)(3) non-profit that supports environmentally and socially responsible winegrowing through third-party certification and educational programming.

  Also, their winery was the first in the world to use cork certified through Preferred by Nature to FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council) standards. In addition, they were the first winery to deploy a UV-C Light robot in their vineyard to prevent powdery mildew, as well as one of the founding signatories of Willamette Valley Oak Accord, a grassroots effort to protect and restore the remaining oak habitat in the Willamette Valley.

  Other environmental measures implemented by Willamette Valley Vineyards include becoming certified Salmon-Safe, partnering with Pacific Gas & Electric to provide wind-powered electricity, investing in four solar energy projects with Advanced Energy Systems and partnering with Revino to use reusable glass bottles. It also adopted a new lightweight bottle design for nationally distributed wines that “precycles” glass by using less material to produce a bottle, and it prints new labels on the nationally distributed wines on (FSC®) certified paper made from 100 percent recycled paper.

Willamette Valley’s B Corp™ Certified Wineries  

  The lengthy process to achieve B Corp certification requires an evaluation of social and environmental factors, including customer satisfaction, transparency, environmental footprint, employee well-being and relationships with local suppliers and community leaders. As per the B Lab website: “B Corp certification doesn’t just prove where companies excel now — it also commits companies to their mission for the long term.”

  The latest files from the Oregon Wine Board dated 2020 list eight B Corp-certified wineries in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, more than any other state. When asked why this region has such a preponderance of B Corp-certified wineries, Caitlin Shawver, director of marketing for Sokol Blosser Winery (Dayton), points to the unique pioneering spirit in the Willamette Valley that started with the founders of the first wineries, which included Susan Sokol Blosser and Bill Blosser.

  “Their independent spirit led them to plant grapes here, even when many people told them they were crazy),” she said. “Deep respect for the land and the surrounding environment was a priority then — and it still is now with the second generation at the helm.” 

  In 2014, A to Z Wineworks (Newberg) became the first U.S.-based B Corp winery. Ivanna Tucker, the associated digital marketing manager, commented on the advantages of achieving this certification from an industry perspective.

  “B Corps believe in using business as a force for good, a position that is valuable to customers who care about where their products come from and the business practices behind them,” she said. 

  The Stoller Wine Group (Dayton) is a collection of family-owned wine brands based in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, with their brands Stoller Family Estate and Chehalem Winery achieving B Corp certification. In addition, it became the world’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold-certified winery in 2006. Hannah Guth, communications specialist for Stoller Family Estates, pointed to how this certification serves as their North Star, guiding their business decisions and reinforcing their commitment to preserving the Stoller family legacy by protecting the environment and uplifting the community. In her estimation, the advantage of B Corp certification goes far beyond environmental stewardship.

  “It evaluates how we treat our employees through competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits and ongoing opportunities for growth,” Guth noted. “By aligning our B Corp principals, we not only create a more sustainable future in the vineyard but also build a thriving workplace and community that truly reflects the core values of Stoller Family Estate.”

  Shawver from Sokol Blosser Winery highlighted additional advantages of becoming a B Corp.

  “We’re able to retain top talent, because people love working for B Corp companies, and our customers, distributors and accounts love supporting B Corp companies by buying our wines and visiting our estate, which includes our LEED-certified barrel cellar,” she said. “An additional benefit is that as a B Corp, we have a unique opportunity to collaborate with other B Corps outside of our industry.”

  Following Sokol Blosser Winery receiving B Corp Certification in 2015, B Lab Global honored them as a four-time winner for “Best for The World: Environment in 2022,” as well as awarding them “Best for the World: Changemakers” in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

  Other Willamette Valley B Corp Certified wineries and vineyards include Brooks Wine (Amity), Et Fille Wines (Newberg), Soter Vineyards (Carlton) and Winderlea Vineyard and Winery (Dundee), with Elk Cove Vineyards (Gaston) awaiting final approval of their B Corp certification.

Oregon’s Demeter USA Biodynamic® Vineyards & Wineries

  Even though Oregon only produces one percent of the wines made in the United States, this state accounts for 52 percent of total vineyard acres that received biodynamic® certification from Demeter USA. This not-for-profit offers biodynamic certification to farms.

  For those unfamiliar with biodynamic practices, these wineries follow practices that Rudolph Steiner set forth in 1924, based on the teachings of the ancient Persian philosopher Zoroaster. In 1985, Demeter International formalized these practices, which follow organic principles by prohibiting the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. Additional measures include utilizing eight specific treatments, called preparations, comprising medicinal plants, minerals, and composted animal manures. Furthermore, a certified biodynamic farm must dedicate at least 10 percent of the farm’s total acreage to biodiversity.

  Moe Momtazi, founder of Momtazi Vineyards & Maysara Winery (McMinnville), is a modern-day conservationist and an ancient Persian philosopher. Maysara means “house of wine” in Persian, a definition that aligns with Momtazi’s view of wine not as a commercial commodity but as a living spirit that springs from the marriage of the sun and the earth. After leaving his homeland in 1982, following the Iranian Revolution, he purchased 496 (now 532) acres of abandoned wheat farm. Even though this land had been deemed unsuitable for planting finicky pinot noir grapes, Momtazi knew that by employing his family’s vineyard practices that embodied biodynamic farming principles, he could produce pinot noir wine using holistic means. This includes growing a variety of medicinal flowers and herbs, as well as even selecting weeds to make compost teas that harness the beneficial properties of each plant. These teas work in tandem to maintain long-term vine and soil health without the use of any harmful chemicals.

  His instincts proved to be spot-on, as wines produced using grapes from his Demeter Certified Biodynamic vineyard continue to garner accolades. As evidence of his reach, Momtazi sold pinot noir grapes to 18 wineries following the 2024 harvest, with Mark Vlossak of St. Innocent Winery (Jefferson) having the distinction of being the first winemaker to sell a bottle of Momtazi Vineyard wine nationally back in 2006.

  According to Vlossak, “The unique umami texture, the savory spice and blue-black fruit set it apart as a unique terroir that I love, as well as the family behind the vines.”

  Others who purchase their grapes from Momtazi concur, such as Tracy Kendall, who considers Momtazi a long-time mentor.

  “No matter the vintage, there is always a feral quality to the wine, a wildness that is very unique,” she opined.

  When she left Nicolas-Jay (Newberg) and launched Folly of Man (Amity) with her husband, Aaron, they decided to continue purchasing fruit from Momtazi, with her first vintage slated for release in March 2025.

  Also, John Adams of Wildsound Wines (McMinnville) met Momtazi while filming the 2024 James Beard award-winning documentary SOMM: Cup of Salvation, which included the Momtazi family.

  “Moe has a quote in the film that always sticks with me: ‘Wine is the sun’s radiance in liquid form’,” Adams reflected.        

  According to Craig Camp, winegrower for Troon Vineyard (Applegate Valley), biodynamics is the best route to building nature’s natural systems in their soil and vines, which would then be expressed in their wines. In his experience, farming biodynamically requires great discipline, planning, and organization.

  “You must always be ahead of any problems you may face, as you can’t simply add chemicals when some vineyard problems get out of control,” he stated.

  In addition to the environmental benefits of biodynamic farming, Brent Stone, co-CEO and winemaker of King Estate Winery (Eugene), notices how there’s a segment of the wine-consuming public that seeks out products made using sustainable means, which provides them with an opportunity to offer education about the value and benefits of choosing biodynamic wines.

  “It’s still rare to find a nationally distributed biodynamic wine brand, so we can meet that need in the market and hopefully be part of growth in that segment,” he opined.

  In a similar vein, Domaine Willamette (Dayton), home to Demeter-certified Bernau Estate Vineyard, opened in 2022 with a vision to build an iconic biodynamic winery that will surprise and delight visitors with moments of celebration and relaxation around bubbles and food pairings. Currently, they biodynamically farm 26 acres of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier for méthode traditionnelle sparkling and still wine production. Other certifications include LIVE and Salmon-Safe.

Sustainable Washington

  While Oregon may have the most B Corp and biodynamic wineries in the United States, neighboring Washington State has created its own certification titled “Sustainable WA.” About a third of Washington State’s acreage is certified as Sustainable WA or is in the process of becoming certified. At present, this is only a vineyard certification. However, wineries may put the Sustainable WA logo on their bottles of wine if 75 percent of the winegrapes in that bottle are certified Sustainable WA.

  Marissa Dineen of Dineen Vineyards in The Hills growing region of the Yakima Valley found this program serves as a hallmark of quality by assuring wine buyers, through a rigorous third-party audit, that the grapes that make the wine in their glass uphold high standards. Also, this certificate drives the Washington State wine industry to adopt best-in-class practices in viticulture, people management and business management and foster the long-term health of the industry. In particular, Dineen observes how sustainability and responsible business practices resonate with younger consumers, who are a key demographic they aim to introduce to wine and develop into lifelong enthusiasts.

  “If sustainably grown wine inspires them to try or buy the product, that is a win,” Dineen said. “That said, we need to better educate consumers on the concept and value of sustainability to ensure the message connects and drives purchasing decisions. Younger consumers understand, and it fits within their values set — they are early adopters.”  

Sustainable Winegrowing BC

  Similar to Washington State, British Columbia wineries can participate in a regional certification program. The mission of Sustainable Winegrowing BC (SWBC) is to guide wineries and grape growers in BC that enable and encourage them to practice good land stewardship, offer safe fulfilling employment and be respectful neighbors.

  Lyndsay O’Rourke, owner/winemaker of Tightrope Winery (Penticton), believes that the SWBC logo on a bottle should give consumers confidence that the producer follows accepted sustainability practices and has undergone an audit and certification process. Currently, six winery members and 36 vineyard members located in BC are fully certified, with another couple dozen working towards becoming certified.

stacks of wine barrel

Wood Barrel Cask Care

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By: Thomas J. Payette, Winemaking Consultant

Premium oak barrels can be one of the best places to store certain wines and some of the worst.  This is mostly subject to what style of wine one wants to produce, how one cares for the full barrels and how one stores barrels that are empty.  The best rule of thumb for many is: A full barrel is a “happy” or “safe” barrel.

  Water will be mentioned multiple times in this article.  It is assumed the water is always chlorine free water.  Do not use chlorinated water on barrels or in wineries in general.

When?

  Every winemaker has his own way of taking care of his barrels.  In essence, there is no right way to take care of a barrel, just many wrong ways.  Neglecting the timely applications of just a few simple processes may result in spoilage bacteria becoming established in the porous grain of the wood that will be a cumbersome battle for the future.  If we are timely and diligent in our barrel care, we save ourselves time, work and dollars keeping sound oak barrels for up to a decade or more. 

Golden Rule of Thumb: Visit each barrel once a month.  Full or empty.

New Barrels

  Most winemakers have several diverse ways to prepare their barrels for their first fill.  This can range from no treatment (not recommended), quick rinse, head soaking to full fill.  Visually inspect and smell every barrel before filling just to know what your hard-earned juice/wine is about to go into and extract.  Always remember it is better to find a leaky barrel with water.  Not wine or juice!

No Treatment: Some winemakers will simply receive the barrel and fill the barrel up with juice or wine.  However, there are few cases where the barrel will leak, so most winemakers at larger premium wineries generally do not recommend this. (Not recommended)

Quick Rinse: Acceptable in some cases if the barrel is allowed to soak up the water to swell beyond the leaking point if that may be an issue.  The author still finds risk with this process unless potentially using a form of pressure test to know that the barrel will not leak. (Not recommended)

Head Swell: There are winemakers that fill their barrels with about 10-15 gallons of water and allow them to sit on one head for 12-24 hours and then roll them over to allow the opposite head to have contact with the water.  This, in my opinion, is still better than the above solutions because of the time needed for the wood to swell is taken properly before placing juice or wine in the barrel. (still not recommended)

Full Fill: Either using cold or hot (120 degrees F) water to completely fill a barrel (roughly) 12-24 hours prior to needing the barrel.  This time can be shortened if all looks well and leaks are not discovered.  Cold water can be used also. (Recommended)

  Do keep in mind not to extend the time longer since the water can turn smelly and certain slims/films may develop [from the water].  If more time is needed freshen the water or make a solution of citric acid water (pH to near 3.5 or lower) and SO2 (near 60-70 PPM).  This solution will allow longer contact time with the wood if that is desired.

  I, depending on the cooperage used, prefer to fill barrels with fresh water at 120 F, bung solid and allow to cool overnight before emptying the water the next day, allowing draining completely for one hour (bung hole facing downward) then righting, doing another visual and smell check, then filling.

Freshly Emptied Barrels

  Barrels that have been freshly emptied of wine are often overlooked too long.  A barrel that is empty will start to dry reasonably rapidly so we must take the bull by the horns, even though we may be tired or distracted, to manage these empty barrels as soon as possible.  As with any clean up, if one can get to the dirt before it dries the clean up goes much easier.  Try to at least give the barrels a good solid rinse as soon after emptying as possible. 

  A good solid rinse may be a reasonably high-pressure rinse to loosen and rinse the sediment from the barrel.  Then start any other cleaning regimens from then on or perhaps if re-filling one may be fully prepared for this action at this time.

  If further cleaning is needed this can also be a time to start a more serious high pressure washing regimen, ozone or any other sought after method to address a specific need.

  Be sure to take the time to clean the bung area of the barrel both inside and out.  The bung area can be a place for solids to dry and for large numbers of bacteria to proliferate, if uncared for.

Storing of Empty Barrels

  Many readers are perhaps scanning this article for answers just to this issue.  Wide-ranging experiences have winemakers storing empty barrels in various fashions.  The author prefers to rinse a freshly emptied barrel as described above, allow the barrel to drain overnight bung downward and then re-right the barrel – with bung facing skyward. 

stacks of wine barrel

Liquid Sulfur Dioxide: Fresh pure liquid sulfur dioxide can be the best choice, in my opinion, yet care must be taken when using this liquid gas.  Please follow all MSDS and handling instructions.  Another common-sense helpful task is to only do this outdoors, upwind from the barrels and away from others.  The author typically will meter 10 grams of pure liquid sulfur dioxide per 60-gallon (225 liter) barrel for the initial dose and then re-dose at 5 grams every month thereafter.  If the author has ever been in doubt what may be too much pure sulfur dioxide, he always leans toward more in the empty barrel scenario because he has not seen any literature suggesting the negatives of slightly higher use.  This is not to say to go higher than recommended or to become excessive.  Please be careful here.

Wicks and Disks: This is another form of introducing sulfur dioxide into the barrel.  Most sulfur wicks contain roughly 5 grams of sulfur dioxide in them and yield this upon burning.  This is another terrific way to take care of your barrels when empty.  Please remember to re-burn a wick/disc in the barrel every month.  Visit each barrel, full or empty, once a month.

Storage Conditions: Do your absolute best to store barrels, full or empty, in the best conditions possible.  One should strive to store barrels full or empty at or near 50 degrees F, out of direct sunlight, avoiding excessive temperature swings and in a mold-free environment.

Dixie cup, Styrofoam, or Bung?

  There are winemakers who allow barrels to be stored unbunged after treatment with sulfur dioxide.  These winemakers are few.  Others use different methods of sealing the barrels to keep the risk of insects and small animals out of the barrels.  The most popular methods are:

Dixie™ Cups:  These fit nicely in most 50 mm bung whole openings and do an excellent job at sealing the barrel just enough to keep the gas inside the barrel.  They do tend to pop out as some like to store the empty barrel bung down while empty. (Not recommended)

Styrofoam™ Cups: These are like the Dixie™ cup above with essentially the same function. (Not recommended)

Bungs:  The author prefers this seal to the barrel to best keep the gas in.  It is also recommended to wrap these bungs in Seran™ wrap to protect the bung silicone from the harsh sulfur dioxide environment.  This is functional and the clear wrapping is a wonderful way to identify empty wine barrels in your cellar from a distance visually.  (Recommended)

Wine barrel with pressure gauge

  I have little experience with glass bungs or other forms of barrel closures for this purpose. These may need further review in your own cellar.

Types of Rinse

wine barrels steaming

Water: All types of rinse generally use water.  Please keep in mind this should be Chlorine free and have enough pressure to rinse the back and top of the vessel in question.  This can be difficult with larger barrels such as puncheons.

High Pressure: Nice to have but not essential with overall good cellar practices.  This will aid in tartrate removal and it has much more logical mechanical pressure removal than just typical water pressure in a winery.

Ozone: Increasingly popular but this process must be used with caution and in well-ventilated areas.  With best cellar practices these machines should not be needed but they are a great tool to fight back when bad spoilage bacteria become troublesome.

Hot Water vs. Cold

  I feel it best to rinse barrels with hot water after emptying.  150–170-degree Fahrenheit water is preferred for this step and the rinse is generally about 1- 2 minutes to complete the task of mostly clear water coming from the barrel. Please note hot water would not be used with ozone.

Monthly Management

  Whether full or empty, each barrel needs monthly attention.  Try to store full and empty barrels at or as near 50 degrees F when possible.

When Full: One will need to taste and check the free Sulfur Dioxide and pHs of these wines monthly at a minimum. After this check, additions can be made to the wines in the barrel and then they can be topped.  Topping is one of the keys to keeping a barrel safe from bacteria spoilage.  The wines used must be of sound chemistry and microbe free to make this a successful statement. The topping wine must be “clean.”  I will often use a dry wine from a tank that has been tightly filtered and nearing bottling to be certain the bacteria load is greatly reduced, or absent, from that vessel.

When Empty: Once again we will need to visit each barrel monthly.  In all cases the barrel will have been rinsed and sulfured prior.  We should return to these same barrels and retreat with Sulfur Dioxide by gas or wick (see above) to ensure the barrels’ integrity will continue to be sound.

Where

  Most work with empty barrels will happen outside on a crush pad or strung out in caves and warehouses.  When possible, try to have more than ample space and ventilated air moving through the workspace if using liquid Sulfur dioxide or wicks/discs.   When possible, the author prefers to unstack the barrels, remove the bungs, look inside the barrel with a flashlight and then smell the barrels at each visit.

  If the barrels must stay in place, one can easily work with them also but some of the more critical reviews of sight and smell become more cumbersome.

Rain

  At certain times at certain winery locations the author likes to use Mother Nature.  It is common to plan a day’s barrel work around the weather.  If the weather forecast is for rain the author finds advantages, with uncovered crush pad areas, to do a days barrel work, rinse the interior and then allow the barrels to remain on racks, bung down, in the rain to get a nice soaking cleaning on the exterior as well.  This can also apply in conjunction to the swelling procedure above but with barrels full of water and bung upward.  Please try this experiment first on a small batch of barrels since wood discoloration may take place and not be visually to one’s liking.

  Always clean the bung opening area and when needed one can cauterize / burn that area again.  This process may be needed about every 5 years or so at the maximum and a special tool is needed for this process.

Tartrate Removal

  Tartrate removal can be a nuisance for those that focus on it.  In general, it should not be a huge issue.  Do note that winemakers may care to cold stabilize their wines before placing them in barrel for this reason.  Most do not, however.  Also note that when one looks inside the barrel one will see more tartrates because they typically “fall out” and go to the bottom.  In the case of sur lie wines in the barrel the yeast layer does a wonderful job of protecting the bottom of the barrel from tartrate adhesion to the wood. 

  A high-pressure rinse may remove these tartrates effectively.  A hot water rinse may help them “flake off” and dissolve more readily.

  There are winemakers who use a high pH (warm water helps here) soaked by a light citric acid soak.  This can be highly effective in tartrate removal.  Make sure the soda ash, the high pH solute, and citric acid, the low pH solute, dissolve completely before adding any one of them to a barrel.

  Some more European trained winemakers will insert a stainless-steel chain and have the less stipend “summer help” roll the barrels with the chain inside to knock the tartrates free – then rinse and Sulfur.  Be sure to devise a way to retrieve the chain from the barrel. 

  In most cases, however, the tartrate removal is not a huge focus for many winemakers due to practical applications.

Tools Needed

  The many tools for barrel care may be purchased at winery supply stores, cooperage houses and other specialty suppliers specific to these types of products.  Research your needs and then contact these companies to see what they offer.  In general, only a good barrel rinser, good to great water pressure (chlorine free) is needed and the way to introduce the SO2 – wick or gas.

Glass Head Barrels: A great tool to be able to see inside the barrel when performing certain tasks from burning sulfur wicks, filling, rinsing, lees stirring etc.  Watching fermentation and malo-lactic with these glass head barrels can be fascinating beyond the other features.  Every cellar should have at least one of these glass head barrels to better know what is happening inside their barrels with certain specific functions. 

Humidity

  Humidity is undoubtedly a factor when dealing with barrels.  The author prefers a less humid cellar to make sure the vacuum needed inside the barrel is fully established on barrels with wine in them.  If barrels are kept full and production practices to store few barrels empty for any length of time are employed, this can be the best way to use barrels to their fullest and best capacity.  There is some “angel’s breath” evaporation loss but that is a part of the process.  If a barrel is stored for less than three months empty most will have few to no issues with reswelling.

Spicing it Up!

  There are winemakers who prefer to cold stabilize their wines before placing them in barrels to prevent tartrate from building up in the barrels. (referenced above) This can be effective but most winemakers do not do this in large practice.

  Burning a sulfur wick in a barrel (5-6 grams) does two things.  It puts sulfur dioxide into the barrel as well as displaces oxygen with carbon dioxide.  This practice may lend toward mimicking by the winemaker using a carbon dioxide flush on their barrels then using pure liquid sulfur dioxide.  There are large wineries who use liquid Sulfur Dioxide, and this may apply to their needs best.  These large wineries also could make dry ice on site, and this could be used as the Carbon Dioxide source.  This may be the way of the future to help combat spoilage bacteria growth in barrels.  This may well be the future established standard for proper barrel care.

Wrapping it up

  Tackling the barrel care issue is a trying one but an easy one.  There is only one way to do it right.  The way it works for your cellar.  There are multiple off branches and combinations of what has been described above.  Please take from this article anything you think may help with your current process and refine, for the better, what will work best for your winery and wines.  These are examples of must-do processes but most recommendations have some variation.

  In all, be diligent and respectful of the barrels in your cellar and they will provide many years of service to you, your cellar, and your wines.

Other Helpful Tips / Observations

•   Alcohol is less dense than water or juice.  It is not all too uncommon to fill a barrel with water to validate the barrel will not leak, only to find a barrel may develop a leak later.  These leaks can typically be fixed on site of the winery with little effort.

•   Do not fill a barrel with wine you know to be bacterially unsound.  This will only start the spread, further, of unwanted bacteria.

•   Smelling the barrel is one of the best ways to acknowledge its condition and readiness to potentially help or harm your wines in the cellar.

•   Whether full or empty, each barrel normally requires a form of monthly maintenance.

•   Topping  and resulfuring on time is critical. 

•   Lower storage temperatures (50 degrees F) can be an especially useful tool and one more winemakers should try to strive to use.

•   Resist the temptation to store barrels outside.  There are wood-boring insects that may take fancy to this easy target leaving the winemaker with leaky barrels.  Small periods of time outside may be acceptable.

  Generally American oaks tend to need reswelling more than European woods.  I have also noticed American oak may develop more non-bacterial ethyl acetate type aromas when stored empty due to a chemical reaction of the wood, moisture, and Sulfur dioxide.  This is generally not a bacterially generated ethyl acetate aroma if sound procedures are followed and not a concern – just an observation winemakers may notice in their cellars and to be aware.

  Uprights and ovals beyond the 600-liter capacity are beyond the scope of this article and care should be taken to establish contact with appropriate sources to secure proper methods of working with these wood vessels.

References: 

Verbal discussion with Jacques Boissenot, Chris Johnson, and Jacques Recht.

Many thanks to Mark Heinemann (deceased) and all the Demptos Cooperage team for their help.

Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winer

Mount Nittany Vineyard & Winery

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Exceptional Wine, Memorable Surroundings and Welcoming Vibes

By: Gerald Dlubala, Staff Writer

Just six miles from State College in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania, Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery sits nestled into the side of Mount Nittany, offering exceptional wine choices with scenic valley views among peaceful, serene, and breathtaking surroundings.

  “Our property is truly an added attraction for our guests,” said Linda Carroll Weaver, co-owner and general manager of Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery. “It’s such a serene and quiet setting because you won’t find us just off a highway or in or near a neighborhood. Frankly, we used to be hard to find until we paid for state signage around the area to help visitors find us.

  “Our property is wooded, with fields, and a natural place to host and enjoy unique events,” she explained. “We look to host things that maybe other wineries can’t, like disc golf and 5K runs. Our property, event spaces and gathering areas are peaceful, relaxing, and serene; we think that’s a highlight of your visit. And being good neighbors, as we don’t offer live music like other wineries. We don’t want to promote that type of business in the evening and then worry about people managing the roads around here. We want our guests to enjoy a place where they can sit, put their phones away, have a glass of great wine, relax, and enjoy each other’s company.”

  Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery has several unique and reservable gathering areas around the picturesque property. The winery includes a spring-fed pond and the original home of Linda’s parents, Joe and Betty Carroll. The Carrolls were the original property owners and lived in the house from 1983 to 2020. Linda and her husband, Steve, renovated the home into the Linden Lodge, a California deck-style home that is now a year-round reservable VRBO property. The home features five bedrooms and three full baths, with spectacular views across Penn’s Valley to the Tussey Mountain Range.

  Another original barn structure once housed everything needed by the winery, a tasting room located upstairs with all production and winemaking taking place downstairs. Over the years, Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery experienced five different building or transformation phases that saw them adding a 1,000-gallon tank, a full on-site lab and more.

  “People love our tasting room space,” said Carroll-Weaver. “It’s an open space with a 1 ½ story ceiling. There is a fireplace and large windows overlooking the pond. There are also decks covered with several types of reserved seating space. Our reservation system is popular because you can reserve both time and place. Guests can reserve the places they would like to be on our property. That may be inside, outside, under a covered deck or pavilion or even a table by the pond. One of my favorite photos I took here is a group of younger guests with their cell phones piled up on the end of a table. No one would be talking on or looking at their phones on this visit. I know it’s unusual, but that’s the type of vibe we want to promote and enable: a place to socialize and be present with friends and family.”

Ideas, Visions, and the Trip That Changed Everything

  Joe and Betty Carroll purchased the property in 1983 with no intention of starting a winery. The views were notable, with only a barn and spring-fed pond on the property. Joe’s dad had a farm, but Joe himself did not grow up on a farm in the traditional sense. He was, however, a jack of all trades.

  He received a degree in mechanical engineering from Penn State and was familiar with machinery. He also taught at Penn State at one point. The property on Mount Nittany had the ideal southern exposure, site elevation and drainage capabilities for grape growing. Joe had a friend who was a winemaker, so he planted a six-acre vineyard, intending to supply his friend with grapes. However, the Carrolls had the opportunity to visit a few smaller family-owned wineries during a trip to Australia to visit with their daughter Linda and her husband, Steve. It was then that their vision for the Mount Nittany property changed from growing grapes for others to becoming a winery.

  Joe’s amateur winemaking skills improved as he leaned on other winemakers’ advice and knowledge. Those skills, combined with his background as a mechanical engineer, led the Carrolls to build, own and operate Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania, a state with only about 30 operating wineries at the time.

  Opening in 1990, the winery still operates in much the same way today, with Linda and Steve taking ownership in 2016. Linda is the general manager and oversees operations and sales. Steve is the vineyard manager, and Scott Hilliker, who interned with the winery while finalizing his education in oenology and viticulture, eventually became the full-time winemaker.

  The 65-acre property retains its original six-acre vineyard and features six different grape varietals, including Itasca musca elvin, seyval blanc, cayuga, vidal blanc and riesling. The all-white varietals are used mostly for blending grapes into sweeter styles of wines, while other varietals are sourced either locally or from out west.

  Along with a state-of-the-art production facility, Carroll-Weaver told The Grapevine Magazine that there are two main event spaces. The Treehouse Private Event Space was the original tasting room and is available for parties of up to 40, while the Vintner’s Loft Tasting Room has a capacity of up to 100 guests. Guests can self-cater their events or choose from a pre-approved list of caterers who are experienced and familiar with the winery. Distinct types and styles of seating are also available for reservation and tastings around the property. Each offers its own style, design, and amenities, including outdoor pondside seating, covered decking seating, indoor seating, or a private outdoor pavilion space with an adjacent firepit.

  “We design and present all of our spaces to enable and promote socialization among guests”, said Carroll-Weaver. “We also provide a small kitchen for catering use. It is a limited space, and although we don’t use it ourselves to offer food, it is a good space that allows caterers to prepare fresh food for guests or for our winery events.”

  “We like hosting monthly wine and food pairing events, but we also host themed or month-specific events,” she said. “They generally sell out quickly. Our wine and soup pairing and our wine and chili pairing are popular. And then we’ll do seasonal pairings like a wine and chocolate pairing in February, a wine and cupcake pairing for Mother’s Day or even free hot dogs for the fourth of July.”

  Carroll-Weaver continued, “On some Friday nights that we stay open a little later, we do wine and bingo nights, and I think we’ll be getting more into wine and trivia nights. We’re always thinking of different things to do here because our hours are limited, and we don’t offer music. We like being an activity-based winery. Our guests can have a good time with friends and family instead of sitting on their devices. It’s really heartening to see guests having an enjoyable time while their phones and electronic devices are put away.”

The Goods

  “We offer the whole range of wines to suit every taste that comes through our doors,” said Carroll-Weaver. “Some visitors are surprised that we have such a great selection of non-sweet wines, but guests can choose chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, cabernet and merlot through our trademarked Tailgate (Tailgate red and white) and trademarked Nittany (Nittany Mountain red, white and blush) wines to our selection of fruit and dessert wines.”

  “We have 25 varieties in all, including a peach-flavored wine, a blueberry wine, a popular, locally sourced apple wine and a red raspberry sangria,” she said. “Our Tailgate red and Nittany selections are popular because they grab the attention of those looking to get something local from State College. Those are usually our best sellers, but our port sells well too, although it has limited production.”

Seek Growth Within Your Niche

  “We like where we’re at as a family-owned winery and really don’t plan any major changes for the future,” said Carroll-Weaver. “This is such a competitive market right now that we want to stay in our niche, mostly a daytime winery, with quality wine and great events. We feel lucky to have relatively little or no turnover in our staff. We get compliments about them all the time. Our staff are generally either retired or in their second career, get along very well and are truly knowledgeable. Additionally, they like to serve our guests and have fun, ensuring they have a good time and experience the things and wines they like.”

  Carroll-Weaver also shared, “We have a great winemaker who has been with us since his internship, and our location is unique. We do want to promote our event spaces because we see that business as a future growth area. We’re not looking to build a huge wedding venue and get into the venue business. We have hosted smaller weddings and events and are fine with that. We are more suited for bridal and baby showers, birthdays, retirement parties and those types of things. We are also listed in a tasting trail in Centre County consisting of 15 wineries, breweries, distilleries and meaderies, and we consistently hear about our quality wines served by knowledgeable and fun staff.”

  “When you visit Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery, you’ll experience great wine from a professionally trained winemaker in a really picturesque and pretty environment, especially in the summer,” said Carroll-Weaver. “You can’t beat our views here in the summer.”

  For information, hours, reservations, or questions, contact Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery:

Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery

300 Houser Rd.

Centre Hall, PA 16828

814-466-6373

www.mtnittanywinery.com

Business People Together Communication Concept

Sipping Beyond Tradition

Cyndi Leave a comment

The Rise of Alternative Beverages in Wine Tasting Rooms

By: Susan DeMatei – WineGlass Marketing

In the ever-evolving world of wine, tasting rooms have long been sacred spaces for sampling vintages and educating consumers about winemaking. But recently, the definition of what belongs in a tasting room has expanded beyond the conventional pour. Enter the world of alternative beverages—non-alcoholic wines, wine-based cocktails like Frosé, and low-alcohol spritzers. These trends are carving out significant space, appealing to younger generations, health-conscious consumers, and a broader range of visitors.

  The rise of alternative beverages in tasting rooms isn’t just a fleeting fad—it’s a response to shifting consumer preferences and lifestyle trends. The question now isn’t whether tasting rooms should adapt to these new offerings, but how they can complement the core identity of wine while capturing the attention of a broader audience.

Changing Consumer Preferences

  Several studies have shown that modern consumers, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, are more inclined toward moderation in alcohol consumption. According to NielsenIQ’s 2022 report, the non-alcoholic beer, wine, and spirits market grew by more than 20% in a single year, reflecting a growing demand for alternatives. This shift is due to increased focus on health and wellness, but it’s also about balance and variety. Younger consumers are seeking experiences that offer the same sophistication as traditional wines without the alcohol.

Bar Graph showing sales of better-for-you alcohol in the United States from 2018-2022

  Interestingly, most affluent Millennials and Gen Zers live in urban areas. A Statista report found that 88% of Millennials live in metropolitan regions, making trips to wine country a sensory vacation from city life. For many, it’s about more than the wine—nature, sunshine, and quality time with family and friends are just as much part of the appeal. This shift is influencing how wineries engage visitors who might not come solely for the wine but for the full experience.

  And speaking of family, this cohort is also more likely to incorporate family members—whether it’s kids or parents—into their travel plans. Offering a diverse range of beverages that can appeal to different tastes, and even non-drinkers, ensures that everyone feels included and catered to.

  In an article by Forbes, Gen Z’s relationship with alcohol is described as different from previous generations. They drink less overall and are more likely to incorporate alcohol-free alternatives into their socializing. In response, many wineries are stepping up to meet this demand by expanding their tasting room offerings to include non-alcoholic wines and low-alcohol beverages.

  For wineries, the introduction of alternative beverages is not just a way to capture a growing market—it’s also an opportunity to enhance their brand’s inclusivity. By offering non-alcoholic wines, wineries can create an environment that welcomes everyone, from designated drivers to individuals who abstain from alcohol for personal or health reasons.

Non-Alcoholic Wines or Food: A Growing Trend

  One of the most intriguing shifts in tasting rooms is the rise of non-alcoholic wines. These wines are crafted using the same grapes and winemaking techniques as their alcoholic counterparts but go through a process of alcohol removal, resulting in a beverage that retains the flavor, aroma, and complexity of wine—without the buzz.

  Non-alcoholic wines appeal to a growing segment of health-conscious consumers who still want to participate in the ritual of wine tasting without the after-effects. Brands like TÖST and Leitz have carved out a niche in this market by producing high-quality non-alcoholic sparkling wines that are often served in tasting rooms alongside traditional pours. Wine Enthusiast notes that many non-alcoholic wines today offer a level of sophistication that was previously absent from the category, making them a viable and even exciting option for wine lovers looking to cut back on alcohol.

  The concept of pairing food with non-alcoholic wine is also gaining momentum, providing a full sensory experience for those who want to enjoy wine’s role in a meal without the alcohol. For wineries, offering non-alcoholic options means they can host guests for a more diverse range of events, from brunches to business lunches, where alcohol might not be appropriate.

Frosé and Wine Cocktails: Fun with a Twist

  On the other end of the spectrum, wine-based cocktails like Frosé (a frozen rosé slushie) are injecting fun and innovation into tasting rooms. Initially popularized by rooftop lounges, Frosé has become a staple in wine country, offering visitors a refreshing, playful alternative to traditional tastings.

  Wine cocktails allow wineries to appeal to a broader audience, particularly younger consumers who may prefer creative beverages over a standard pour. According to a Wine Market Council study, Millennials are more likely to gravitate toward cocktails over beer or wine, appreciating the versatility that mixed drinks offer.

  Wineries that offer wine cocktails in their tasting rooms can elevate the experience by showcasing their wines in a new light. Rather than competing with traditional pours, these beverages complement the overall experience, giving visitors the chance to enjoy wine in a more casual, less structured format.

  The beauty of wine cocktails lies in their adaptability. Whether served as a refreshing sip on a hot summer day or a festive option during the holidays, these drinks create opportunities for wineries to extend their offerings beyond the conventional. They also open the door to creative collaborations, with wineries working alongside mixologists to craft signature drinks that can be a unique selling point for their tasting rooms.

The Rise of Low-ABV Beverages

  Another key player in the alternative beverage trend is the rise of low-alcohol-by-volume (ABV) wines and spritzers. These beverages, typically between 4-8% ABV, offer a lighter experience while still maintaining the essence of wine.

  Low-ABV options are especially popular with consumers seeking balance—whether it’s enjoying a drink during a weekday lunch or sipping more than one glass without feeling the effects. These beverages are also appealing to those who want to be mindful of their alcohol intake while still enjoying the social and sensory experience of wine.

  For wineries, serving low-ABV options in tasting rooms is an easy way to cater to diverse preferences and occasions. A light, refreshing spritzer might be the perfect option for a casual afternoon tasting, while a traditional pour can be reserved for the more serious wine connoisseur.

The Business Case for Alternative Beverages in Tasting Rooms

  For wineries, the introduction of alternative beverages isn’t just about keeping up with trends—it’s a strategic business move. Expanding the menu to include non-alcoholic wines, wine cocktails, and low-ABV options allows wineries to attract a broader customer base. This inclusivity can lead to increased sales, more diverse event offerings, and greater customer retention.

  Alternative beverages also give wineries a chance to get creative with their offerings. Signature drinks like Frosé or a curated non-alcoholic wine flight can differentiate a winery’s tasting room from the competition, creating a memorable experience for guests. And in the age of social media, these unique offerings are prime content for sharing, helping to amplify the winery’s brand.

  A Silicon Valley Bank report on the wine industry emphasizes that customer loyalty is increasingly driven by memorable, personalized experiences. Offering alternative beverages opens the door to a broader demographic, allowing wineries to foster deeper connections with guests.

The Future of Tasting Rooms

  As the wine industry evolves, so too must the tasting room experience. The inclusion of alternative beverages—whether non-alcoholic, low-ABV, or wine-based cocktails—offers wineries a way to stay relevant and appeal to today’s more diverse, health-conscious consumers.

  The key is finding balance. Alternative beverages should enhance the tasting room experience, not replace the core focus of showcasing the craftsmanship of winemaking. By integrating these new trends alongside traditional offerings, wineries can create a dynamic environment that appeals to everyone—from wine lovers to those who are simply there for the atmosphere.

  In an industry driven by tradition, evolution is necessary to stay relevant. By embracing alternative beverages, wineries can ensure their tasting rooms remain welcoming spaces for all, while still honoring the artistry of winemaking.

  By offering a range of alternative beverages, wineries can create a tasting room experience that resonates with a wider audience while staying true to their roots. After all, innovation and tradition can coexist, and alternative beverages are just the beginning of what’s possible.

  Susan DeMatei founded WineGlass Marketing; the largest full-service, award-winning marketing firm focused on the wine industry. She is a certified Sommelier and Specialist in Wine, with degrees in Viticulture and Communications, an instructor at Napa Valley Community College, and is currently collaborating on two textbooks. Now in its 12th year, her agency offers domestic and international wineries assistance with all areas of strategy and execution. WineGlass Marketing is located in Napa, California, and can be reached at 707-927-3334 or wineglassmarketing.com.

Wine tasting event with guests

Navigating the Wine Market

Cyndi Leave a comment

A Focus on Hospitality, Experiences and Quality

By: Earl E. Sullivan

In an era marked by bad economic news, changing consumer preferences, and health-conscious trends like “Dry January,” wineries face the challenge of surviving and thriving. The key to success in any competitive landscape revolves around pivoting strategies towards enhancing consumer experiences, leveraging the allure of hospitality, and emphasizing the quality of products.

  This article explores how our winery has taken steps to attract individual consumers through targeted marketing strategies focusing on the warmth of hospitality and experiences and new approaches to wine education, mainly focusing on increasing foot traffic and club enhancements rather than solely relying on corporate sales.

Embracing the Essence of Hospitality

Wineries are uniquely positioned to offer more than just a product; they provide an experience, a memory. The first step in marketing and winning in this challenging environment is to transform the winery into a destination of choice for those seeking memorable experiences.

•    Personalized Guest Experience: Customize visits based on guests’ preferences. Leverage data from booking systems or social media interactions to tailor wine tastings, tours, or educational sessions. Data can help personalize these encounters, suggesting wines based on previous choices or anticipated preferences. The more memorable the experience, the more likely the customer is to share it with others, prompting them to come and visit. In addition to the customary greeting with a smile, use someone’s name as often as possible, and always say thank you.

•    Storytelling: Every winery has a story—from the conception of the business to the soils of the grapes to the glass of the final product. Stories are memorable and aid in connecting consumers with the winery. Use this narrative in marketing materials, tours, and tasting sessions to connect with visitors on an emotional level. Storytelling through social media, blogs, and in-person visits can transform a simple wine tasting into a cultural experience. Creating a special storytelling event for select groups of customers can also help with customer retention.

•    Exceeding Expectations:  Provide more than just a wine tasting and history of the winery. Does a guest mention a recent trip to Argentina? Bring an extra taste of your current release, Malbec. Is a couple celebrating a wedding anniversary? A quick handwritten note congratulating them is an inexpensive and thoughtful way to create a memory and create a bond. Did the customer make a more significant purchase? A handwritten thank you note sent to their house the next day will do wonders for keeping those sales coming during more challenging times.

•    Small, Intimate Event Hosting: Small, themed events like harvest festivals, wine blending workshops, or seasonal celebrations can create buzz. These events should focus on the sensory journey of wine, offering unique experiences like vineyard yoga, painting with wine, or culinary pairings with local chefs.

Highlighting Quality Products

  In a market where consumers are more discerning than ever, quality is not just a selling point but a necessity.

•    Quality Assurance: Regularly communicate the methods behind your winemaking, from sustainable vineyard practices to the nuances of aging processes. Transparency in production can build trust and loyalty.

•    Limited Editions and Small Batches: Create excitement by offering limited-run wines. These wines can command a premium and instill a sense of exclusivity and urgency among consumers to visit and purchase.

•    Awards and Recognition: Use any accolades or ratings from wine competitions prominently in marketing materials. External validations of quality often sway consumers.

Driving Foot Traffic

  To get people through the door, wineries must employ innovative marketing strategies beyond traditional advertising.

•    Loyalty Programs: Implement programs that reward repeat visits with benefits like discounts, exclusive tastings, or members-only events. These can foster a community around the brand.

•    Collaborations with Local Businesses: Partner with local artisans, food producers, or tourism boards to cross-promote. These partnerships increase visibility and embed the winery into the local culture and economy.

•    Social Media Engagement: Use platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest to showcase the winery’s lifestyle, from behind-the-scenes vineyard work to luxurious tasting room setups. Engage with followers through contests, live sessions, or user-generated content campaigns.

•    Influencer Partnerships: Collaborate with micro-influencers in the food and travel space who can authentically share their experiences at the winery, reaching niche audiences with genuine endorsements.

•    Build Community:  Host socials of different club levels or other segments of your wine club. Allow members to build and foster friendships within your winery.

Handling Dry January

  Dry January presents a unique challenge, yet it’s an opportunity for wineries to showcase versatility and social responsibility.

•   Non-Alcoholic Offerings: Introduce or highlight non-alcoholic wines, wine-based mocktails, or gourmet non-alcoholic beverages. This can cater to those participating in Dry January and attract health-conscious consumers throughout the year.

•   Educational Workshops: Instead of focusing solely on consumption, offer workshops on wine appreciation without the need for tasting, such as wine history, grape varieties, or the art of wine and food pairing theory.

•   Promote the Culture: Use this month to promote the broader culture of wine. Host book clubs, art exhibitions, or music nights in the winery setting, emphasizing the venue’s ambiance rather than the alcohol.

•   Responsible Marketing: Ensure all communications during Dry January support the initiative by highlighting responsible drinking, the benefits of a break from alcohol, and the winery’s commitment to health and wellness. This can enhance the winery’s reputation for social responsibility.

•   Special Events for Post-January: Create anticipation by announcing special events for February or a “Welcome Back” wine tasting for those who participated in Dry January, celebrating their return with a special touch or discount.

In Summary:

  Marketing to individual consumers in the current wine market necessitates a blend of traditional hospitality with modern marketing techniques. By focusing on creating memorable experiences, underlining the quality of wines, and actively engaging with the community through various touchpoints, wineries can attract more visitors and build a loyal customer base. Rather than being seen as a downturn, the approach to Dry January can be an innovative period to broaden appeal and demonstrate social responsibility. In this way, wineries can navigate market challenges not just by selling wine but by selling an experience, a story, and a lifestyle, ensuring they remain vibrant and inviting destinations all year round.

You can contact the writer Earl Sillivan at earl@telayawine.com

Grape background

The Power of Intentional Photography in Vineyard Marketing

Cyndi Leave a comment

By Jake Ahles: Building Legacies at Morel Creative

The glisten of morning dew on grape leaves. Mist rolling through the vineyard. The scent of wet earth. As a vineyard owner, you know that wine is more than just a beverage—it’s a story. Each bottle carries the journey of the grapes, the land, and the winemakers themselves. From the soil where the vines grow to the craft behind the scenes, your vineyard has a story worth sharing. Whether rooted in tradition or leading the way with sustainability, the story you tell shapes how customers see your brand.

  But here’s the truth: if you think it’s only about the photos, you’ve missed the bigger picture. High-quality photography is not just about creating beautiful images—it’s about capturing the essence of your vineyard and connecting with your audience. It’s a tool to set your vineyard apart, claim your space in the market, and firmly plant your flag—your terroir—in a competitive industry.

Why Intentional Photography Matters

  High-quality photography doesn’t always mean high production (though that often delivers the best results). It’s about being purposeful with what your visuals say. Just like you carefully nurture your grapes to create exceptional wine, your photos need to be crafted to reflect your vineyard’s unique story. Intentional photography shows customers what makes your vineyard special and builds a connection that keeps them coming back.

The Four Cs of Vineyard Branding

  A strong vineyard brand is built on the Four Cs: Clarity, Consistency, Connection, and Cohesion.

•    Clarity ensures your audience understands what sets your wines and vineyard apart—whether it’s your sustainable practices, your winemaking expertise, or the story of your land.

•    Consistency reinforces this story across all platforms, from social media to tasting room decor. A unified message builds trust with your customers.

•    Connection happens when your visuals spark emotion. A golden sunset over the vines or a candid shot of your team bottling wine can create a bond with your audience.

•    Cohesion ties everything together. Aligned visuals and messaging across every platform create a seamless, unforgettable brand experience.

  When done right, the Four Cs turn casual visitors into lifelong advocates.

Build Emotional Connections Through Photography

  Photos tell the story of your vineyard, creating a lasting emotional connection. Here’s how intentional photography brings your story to life:

Showcase Your Vineyard’s Beauty: Highlight stunning moments in every season. Early morning mist, vibrant harvest scenes, and sunsets over the vines invite customers into your world.

Reveal the Craftsmanship: Give your audience a behind-the-scenes look at winemaking. From grape picking to bottling, let them see the artistry and care that go into every bottle.

Capture the Tasting Room Experience: Use photos to highlight the warmth and hospitality of your tasting room. Make viewers feel like they’re already there, tasting your wine and enjoying the moment.

Where to Use High-Quality Photography

  Photography has the power to transform your marketing when used strategically. Here’s where it can make the biggest impact:

Website and E-Commerce: Professional images increase perceived value and encourage online purchases.

Social Media: Eye-catching visuals help your posts stand out and grow your audience.

Email Marketing: Beautiful images boost open and click-through rates in newsletters.

Point-of-Sale Materials: From brochures to shelf talkers, visuals influence in-store purchasing decisions.

PR and Media: High-quality photos make your vineyard shine in media coverage.

  Best Practices for Vineyard Photography

  Want your photos to make an impact? Follow these best practices:

Hire Professionals: Experienced photographers know how to capture the unique charm of vineyards.

Highlight the Seasons: Show the beauty of your vineyard year-round, from budding vines in spring to harvest in fall.

Tell Your Story: Focus on moments that reveal your vineyard’s values, traditions, and people. Including people in your photos add a human connection.

Diversify Your Content: Use a mix of wide vineyard shots, close-ups of grapes and wine, and candid lifestyle moments to tell a complete story.

Work with Experts: Collaborate with visual strategists to align your photography with your overall brand narrative.

Lighting: Natural lighting is your best friend in vineyard photography. Aim for golden hour shots to capture the warmth and serenity of your landscape, or overcast days for even lighting.

Leveraging Photography Across Marketing Channels

  Investing in professional photography is just the first step—knowing how to use those visuals effectively across your marketing channels is what brings your brand to life and maximizes your investment. Here are some ways to integrate intentional photography into your vineyard’s marketing strategy to captivate your audience and drive results.

Website and Digital Presence: Your website is often the first impression potential customers will have of your vineyard. Use stunning landscape shots for your homepage banner to immediately draw them in, and pair behind-the-scenes imagery with storytelling on your “About Us” page to highlight your vineyard’s heritage, values, and craftsmanship. High-quality product photos are essential for online wine shops, helping customers feel confident about their purchase before even tasting your wine.

Social Media Engagement: Social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook thrive on visual storytelling. Consistent, cohesive imagery establishes your brand’s aesthetic and builds trust with your audience. Post dynamic shots of harvest season, candid moments with your team, or even drone footage of your vineyard to showcase its scale and beauty. Don’t overlook trends like Instagram Reels or TikTok videos, which offer opportunities for short, engaging content that resonates with younger, experience-driven audiences.

Email Marketing Campaigns: A compelling photo can make your email campaigns stand out in crowded inboxes. Whether it’s a winemaker holding a glass of their latest release or an inviting table set for a tasting event, visuals paired with enticing copy create a sense of connection and urgency that drives clicks and sales.

Advertising and Beyond: When running paid ad campaigns, high-quality visuals are critical. Whether on social media, Google Ads, or print media, polished photos grab attention and communicate your vineyard’s dedication to quality and authenticity.

  By thoughtfully leveraging professional photography across these channels, you’ll not only elevate your brand’s visibility but also create meaningful connections with your audience.

The Evolution of Vineyard Marketing in a Digital Era

  The wine industry is more competitive than ever, and traditional marketing alone isn’t enough to stand out. Digital platforms like Instagram and TikTok have changed the game, making visual storytelling essential. For example, some vineyards are creating ‘day-in-the-life’ reels, taking viewers through picturesque landscapes, grape harvesting, and intimate moments in the tasting room, which resonate with millennial and Gen Z audiences.

Why It Matters:

•    Social media algorithms prioritize high-quality visuals, helping your content reach more people and grow your brand.

•    E-commerce customers are more likely to buy wines they feel emotionally connected to. Beautiful visuals create that connection.

•    Younger audiences value experiences. Photos that transport them to your vineyard can inspire them to visit or order your wine online.

  Investing in intentional photography and video for digital platforms helps you reach new audiences while staying true to your roots.

Why Photography Is Worth the Investment

  It’s easy to think of photography as an expense, but it’s actually one of the smartest investments you can make. Your wine tells the story of your land, your history, and your dedication. High-quality visuals ensure that story is heard, felt, and remembered by everyone who experiences your brand.

Professional photos can:

•    Attract more visitors to your tasting room.

•    Boost online sales by creating a polished

      e-commerce presence.

•    Build customer loyalty through emotional

      storytelling.

•    Increase media coverage and brand visibility.

Claim Your Place in the Market

  Every vineyard has a story, but not every vineyard tells it well. High-quality photography bridges the gap between your story and your audience. It’s how you connect with customers, showcase your unique values, and claim your place in a competitive market.

  Intentional photography is more than just beautiful images. It’s a tool to capture your vineyard’s legacy, communicate your passion, and ensure your story is remembered for years to come. By investing in photography, you’re investing in the future of your vineyard.

Advanced Winery Wastewater Management Systems Extract Renewable Energy & Resources

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cambrian tanks next to vineyards and mountains

By: Gerald Dlubala

Wastewater has traditionally been considered a necessary byproduct of doing business,” said Matt Seng, the global strategic accounts manager for Cambrian Innovation, Inc. His company is a leader in sustainable resource management, providing clean water, renewable energy and water treatment as a service to industrial manufacturing businesses. “Businesses buy water, bring it in to produce a product, then they have wastewater left over that goes out to the city’s treatment system. For many years, businesses just assumed this is just how it is, like in our homes,” he said. 

  Now, thanks to advanced technologies, winery wastewater can be treated, extracting reusable, valuable resources for reuse in the vineyard and winery.

Cambrian Innovation Inc: Wastewater Treatment as a Service

  Cambrian Innovation’s unique Water Energy Purchase Agreement (WEPA) provides on-site wastewater management services that transform the winery’s wastewater into renewable energy and clean water for reuse within the winery and vineyard.

  Matt Seng has been with Cambrian Innovation since its inception. He tells The Grapevine that Cambrian’s innovative and cutting-edge Water Energy Purchase Agreement (WEPA) is winery friendly, using biological treatments that mimic the earth’s natural cycles and wastewater treatments to help move their clients to their sustainability, clean water and renewable energy goals.

  “At Cambrian, we’ve looked at the wastewater that the food and beverage industry produces and see that there are some resources in that wastewater that we can extract using technology,” said Seng. “We can provide an on-site treatment system that extracts those natural resources and returns them to the plant for use.”

  “We use a couple of different technologies, some of which produce renewable energy in the form of biogas, which is the natural fermentation of the byproduct of a natural process occurring in nature,” he said. “That biogas is returned to the winery for use as fuel for a boiler to heat up water or produce steam. Biogas is categorized as renewable energy because it replaces or reduces the amount of fossil-based natural gas that needs to be extracted. In that process, we clean up the water for reuse in the winery for cleaning and washups. We take the status quo of paying the city for water only to pay them again to dispose of wastewater and flip that script. Cambrian can do this for you on-site with several advantages.”

Advantages of Cambrian Innovation Wastewater Treatment Systems

  Those advantages include producing renewable energy, so wineries don’t have to buy as much natural gas from the gas company to fire their boilers. Another result is receiving clean, EPA-quality drinking water back from the treatment.

  “This isn’t grey water, and it’s not partially treated wastewater,” he explained. “It’s drinking water made possible because we use the same technologies that the city uses to make its drinking water. The net result is there is less water going to the city’s treatment system, which reduces their emissions of greenhouse gases. And we’re now also enabling the winery to buy less city water to bring into the winery. We’re reducing the amount of city water coming in and the amount of wastewater going out, and we’re keeping those natural resources of energy and drinking water on-site.”

  Seng tells The Grapevine Magazine that their business model is service-based over equipment sales. “We want to own and operate the system,” said Seng. “That is very compatible with many winery owners who just want to make wine. They don’t want to treat water and wastewater. So we do this as a service rather than selling them the equipment to do it themselves. Then, winery owners don’t have to spend the capital to purchase, operate or maintain this technology. They pay Cambrian a service fee based on the amount of wastewater that is treated.

  “All of this work involves biology, which anyone in the wine industry knows well,” said Seng. “It’s all about biological processes, some of which occur without oxygen and are called anaerobic systems. The anaerobic microorganisms convert the organic matter in the wastewater into biogas, providing renewable energy. On the other hand, we use aerobic, or oxygen-containing biological systems to treat wastewater further and provide the basis for producing EPA-quality drinking water. These advanced treatments involve reverse osmosis and UV disinfection. The combination of anaerobic biological treatment to produce renewable energy, followed by the aerobic biological treatment, followed by reverse osmosis and UV disinfection results in EPA-quality drinking water that goes right back into the winery.”

Maximum Results with Minimum Requirements

  Cambrian takes responsibility for designing, building, owning, operating and maintaining the system. Seng said that although their systems are designed for all sizes of wineries, larger facilities have better economies of scale because there’s a certain amount of control system automation that has to be applied, no matter how big the winery is.

  “We do our best to do a financial business case that improves the winery’s finances,” said Seng. “We certainly don’t expect a winery to do this if it will cost them more money than their current situation. Sustainability and greenhouse gas emission reduction are important to wineries and vineyards, but we understand the financial impact is equally important. We always strive to make our solution less expensive than the costs that the winery is currently incurring. And the winery only pays if we produce the energy and the quality water.”

  “Generally, at minimum, we’ll need about a quarter of an acre, or 10,000 (100×100) square feet,” said Seng. “We come in and lease the area and pay the insurance and property tax. As engineers, we work with the winery to design the space, typically providing above-ground structures inside a building to ensure it’s not an aesthetic issue. We don’t want to put industrial equipment on a site and ruin the aesthetics.”

  “There are no further requirements from the winery owner to provide any operational assistance,” he said. “We are autonomous, but we work closely with our customers. Upsets and changes in production are inevitable, and we work with our clients to ensure consistent, quality results. We design the systems to ramp up or down to match the variability in production, for example, during crush. Any biosolids produced from our biological process are our responsibility to manage. In the worst case, it’s moved off-site for disposal. Often, we’ll upgrade it to EPA standards so we can use it on farm fields as a fertilizer amendment. The basis of our systems is to never impact the environment negatively, and we adhere to all EPA requirements in all 50 states just as any organization, city or municipal authority has to do.”

  Winery owners can contact Cambrian Innovation directly to see how their WEPA can benefit their winery.

BioMicrobics: Proven Wastewater Treatment in Compact Designs

  Based in Lenexa, Kansas, BioMicrobics is a leader in Integrated Water Resource Management, celebrating over two decades in the global water and wastewater industry. One of their many specialties is in wastewater management for wineries. Their BioBarrier® HSMBR® Winery wastewater treatment system uses a High Strength Membrane Bioreactor (HSMBR) designed to handle the unique, fluctuating wastewater loads present in winemaking production.

  Joe Rebori is BioMicrobics Inc.’s assistant vice president for inquiries, engineering and regulatory affairs. He spoke to The Grapevine Magazine about the company’s wastewater solutions for wineries of all sizes.

  “For wineries, it’s primarily about handling the wastewater derived from the grape processing,” said Rebori. “To a lesser extent, it also includes places like tasting rooms. Winery wastewater has a very high sugar load; in wastewater terminology, it has a high carbonaceous, biochemical oxygen demand. There’s just a lot more sugar per volume measured that has to be broken down by a wastewater treatment system. In fact, it can be more concentrated by a factor of 10 to 20 times as compared to domestic waste.”

  BioMicrobics’ BioBarrier® HSMBR® Winery wastewater treatment system uses ultrafiltration membranes predesigned to remove the organic pollutants and suspended solids that wineries produce during their normal day-to-day operations. These systems can handle more fluctuating and higher amounts of organic loads than those in typical wastewater systems.

  “During crush is a winery’s highest wastewater load just because of the volume and heavy processing that occurs with the skins, stems and pulp during fermentation,” said Rebori. “Some facilities may use a holding area to take the waste away. Others might still use conventional septic drain fields to dispose of waste if allowed. Those fields usually can’t keep up and need additional on-site treatment before the waste can be disposed of. Treatment with a septic drain field is based on soil characteristics and the capacity of the soil to take on that high organic load of waste.”

  That’s where BioMicrobics’ wastewater management experience and expertise can help wineries transform their wastewater into a reusable water resource. First and foremost, Rebori recommends that every winery owner check their local regulations and know upfront what they are allowed to do with their wastewater. Are you allowed to spray it over your land? Can you dispose of it subsurface in septic drain fields? Some states, like California, have different rules that depend on winery size. The larger the winery, the more restrictions on self-management there are.

BioMicrobics Wastewater Systems for Your Winery

  “We offer wastewater treatment systems for process waste and optionally combined with all other facility waste like tasting room, sanitary, restaurant and more,” said Rebori. “Sometimes those waste systems are combined, sometimes they’re separate. Our membrane filters treat this type of waste. BioBarrier® HSMBR® Winery Wastewater Treatment System is predesigned to handle the high sugar load that occurs during wine production. The system uses a biological treatment combined with a membrane filtration process. We have a slurry of bacteria to break down all the sugary waste in combination with fine membrane filters containing microscopic openings that physically prevent bacteria and large molecules from passing through. This gives a winery owner a system that turns their wastewater into filtered, disinfected and treated water with no organic content that can be used for irrigation, equipment cleanup, outdoor spraying or fire suppression.”

  Regarding spatial requirements, Rebori says that BioMicrobics’ smallest scale projects would include a couple of different tanks with a minimum volume of a few thousand gallons located within a 30×10 foot (300 square foot) space. Most are buried in a greenspace or under a parking area, using traffic-rated tanks to best use the winery’s space while maintaining its aesthetics. Maintenance is minimal, with an eight-year membrane filter replacement schedule and a bi-annual preventative maintenance schedule that includes filter cleaning and blower application checks. Other inspection points include sampling the liquid inside the chamber that reacts with the wine waste where the bacteria are growing to gauge the state and health of the slurry within the system. Solids may occasionally have to be removed, depending on system use.

What to Know Before Getting Started

  A BioBarrier® HSMBR® Winery Wastewater Treatment System serves many small wineries that other systems may not target,” said Rebori. “It’s an affordable solution for wineries to produce quality, reusable water on-site using membrane filtration, which has been proven over other technologies to yield the best water quality. A winery owner or their engineer can contact us directly to get started. All we need to know to get started is the annual wine production. That gets us in the ballpark of the system size we’re looking at. Then, we can work with civil engineers on the site plan and the types of tanks needed. Our systems are modular and can manage projected expansion, but the better choice is to install the proper tank upfront and modify the aeration and filtration equipment when needed.”

Raising the pH of Wines by Easy De-acidification Trials

Cyndi Leave a comment
man in lab with test tube and wine glass

By: Thomas J. Payette, Winemaking Consultant

In the previous issue of The Grapevine Magazine the topic of lowering the pH was reviewed.  This issue will cover the reverse situation winemakers may encounter in the cellar with wines that are too acidic or with pH’s too low.  These are critical choices for the winemaker to make with the proper balance and style of wine anticipated to be made.  Following the trials below will help the winemaker review, in the lab first, lowering the acidity to achieve the proper acid palate structure and chemistry.  Finesse must be used at this decision making process time using both the lab and the wineglass.  Keep in mind this trial and mechanism may best be suited for wines from grape base and may not apply to fruit wines.

Trials in the Lab

The lab is the first place the winemaker should turn to experiment with small batches of wine to make a winemaking addition decision.  This will give nearly concrete evidence from the lab as well as tasting trials to determine the appropriate amount and kind of de-acification tool(s) to use in each individual instance of a wine.

When?

The acid and pH of a wine should be addressed as early on in the winemaking process as possible.  Often this decision is predicted just before harvest from previously collected data, from vineyard grape berry samples, and made at harvest on the crush pad or just after fermentation.

Why and Where?

The reason we do trials is to experiment with refinement and correction of a juice or wine.  Always work in small quantities, in the lab, with a sample so one does not potentially create a larger “issue”, in the cellar.  Trials can be tested and tasted to see what the results would or will have been if the addition was made to the actual tank or vessel of juice/wine.  This eliminates guesswork and unnecessarily shooting from the hip of which many winemakers can find themselves guilty of during critical times.

Tools Needed

•   Scales that measure in grams preferably to a tenth of a gram

•   (4) – 600 milliliter beakers or larger for mixing

•   (1) – 500 milliliter graduated cylinder

•   Roughly a 100.0 gram lab sample of Potassium Bicarbonate  (KHCO3)

•   Roughly a 100.0 gram lab sample of Calcium Carbonate   (CaCO3)

•   (5) – 375 milliliter wine bottles with T-tops or plastic screw caps (preferred)

•   Magnetic Stir plate with stir bars and retriever for the stir bars.

•   Representative sample(s) of each wine to be worked with (2.5 liters)

•   Clean wineglasses

•   Watch glasses to cover each wine glass.

•   Spit cup

•   Other testing equipment to answer other lab questions if needed.

•   Sharpie™ pen or pencil for marking beakers.

•   95% ethanol to remove Sharpie™ pen marks off glassware.

How?

  Start with something simple where results can be easily determined with the wineglass to give the confidence needed to build upon this procedure.  An example of this may be an acid reduction trial for pH lowering and/or palate modification.  Let’s go over this process.

1.  Start with an ample quantity of wine to work with in the lab – perhaps just over 2.5 liters of a representative sample from a wine vessel to be reviewed.

2.  Label the 375 milliliters bottles noted above to reflect their contents as noted below.  Be sure to include a control by filling one bottle with a portion of the sample collected in step #1 and label it control.

3.  Label one beaker 0.5 grams per liter KHCO3 (Potassium bicarbonate) and another beaker 1.0 gram per liter KHCO3.

4.  Label another pair of beakers to represent the CaCO3(Calcium Carbonate) rates of 0.5 grams per liter and 1.0 gram per liter. { See caution below}

5.  Using the 500 milliliter graduated cylinder divide the wine into the four – 500 milliliters labeled beakers that were just labeled.

6.  Accurately weigh 0.25 grams of KHCO3 and fully dissolve in the 500 milliliters labeled appropriately.  Use the stir bar and plate for this process. ( 0.5 grams per liter )

7.  Accurately weigh 0.50 grams of KHCO3 and fully dissolve that quantity in the beaker that represents that rate.  ( 1.0 gram per liter )

8.  Repeat the same process above using the CaCO3 additions and place them in the beakers.

9.  Allow the beakers to settle and set (loosely covered) after the reactions have fully taken place and all the products have dissolved or finished their action.  There may be some gassing.

10.Once the reactions are complete (two hours roughly depending on the wine and room temperature) transfer the mixed samples into their respective labeled 375 milliliter wine bottles and about 50 milliliters into a small wine glass.

11.Degas and run chemistries on the remaining sample left over (roughly 65 milliliters) measuring pH and TA readings at a minimum.  Include the chemistry of the control.

12.Place the wine bottle samples off to the side to be tasted in a week to 10 days.  [Placing them in a refrigerator may also help precipitate tartrates giving the tasters a better indication of the final acidity after cold stabilization.]

13.After the week to ten days : re-taste and retest the chemistries to further help make the final decision on what action to take or furthering trials in the lab for better refinement.

14.Be sure to record all data and tasting notes in the lab so they can be used as a reference for future trials on the same wine or for predictions on other wines to have trails performed.  Each wine does behave differently; however, so always do trials.

Set up the Tasting Trial a Week to Ten Days Later

1.  Pour about 50 milliliters or a quantity one desires to smell and taste, of the control wine prepared in step #2 above, into a wine glass and place it to the left hand area of the tasting glass orientation.  (It is a common practice industry standard to always taste against a control from left to right.)

2.  Pour the trials to be tasted, made in steps 6,7 and 8 above, in the wineglasses to the right of the control.  Mark their contents and perhaps place the two lower additions closer to the control and the larger rate additions to the far right.

3.  Add to this flight any wines from past vintages you may want to review or any other blind samples from other producers you may care to use as a benchmark.  Only do this step if needed.  Mark their contents.

4.  Taste and smell each wine several times.  Go through the flight and detect what wine/juice may best match or improve the desired style one is trying to achieve.  Review the chemistry data generated in step 13 above while tasting the trials.

5.  Select the best match and leave the room for 1 to 2 hours so your palate may return to equilibrium.

6.  Return and re-taste to confirm your previous decision with a fresh palate.

  If chemistries should play an important role be certain to run a necessary panel of lab test to ascertain the proper numbers are achieved.  One may need to balance taste, flavor and chemistry to make some of these choices.  Have all the data necessary available to make those choices.  

Calculation:

  Let’s take the above trial as the example.  If we dissolved 0.5 gram of KHCO3 into 500 milliliters of wine we now have 1 gram per liter equivalent.  If this was the chosen amount we simply take the amount of wine, in liters, and multiply that by one.  This will represent the amount of KHCO3, in grams, to be added to the tank of wine.  Dividing the grams by 454 will give the number of pounds if your cellar has scales that measure in pounds. 

Action in the cellar

  This is often the simple part.  Using the above KHCO3 addition as an example, weigh the desired amount of KHCO3 in a bucket or appropriate container.  Start mixing the wine and start slowly adding the product.  Be sure to make note how full the tank is and to make sure that gassing may not be an issue.  Continue to mix until the addition is fully integrated based on your knowledge of your tank size and/or pump speed and then select a sample from the sample valve for tasting, a pH and titratable acidity analysis.   This will confirm the task was achieved and on target to the lab results.

  Some winemakers, especially when using CaCO3, will split the wine volumes and treat only a portion of the wine with the full amount of the CaCO3 and then blend the two wines back together after the reaction has taken place. This could be roughly a 50-50 split.  Potentially less chalkiness is detected and the pH shift may be advantageously less.

Spicing it up!

  Once the first set of trials is mastered one may build on to the next step projecting out what one may want to do with the juice or wine.  This could eventually, and perhaps should, build out to treating large enough samples that one could cold and protein stabilize the wine in the lab, filter to the projected desired micron size and taste with a panel.

  Recall there are other ways to reduce total acid when making wine.  Be sure to keep malo-lactic in your tool box as an option to review.  Some yeast also reduce malic acid and amelioration (not a first choice mind you) can be explored.  Blending can also be used to make a resulting wine with reduced acid.

Double checking the results

  From experience, one can get so creative in a lab it can be difficult to trace exactly how one arrived at a certain desired concoction.  Copious notes should be taken throughout the complete process in the lab.  Given a tank of juice or wine can often equate to hundreds of thousands of dollars or more it may be prudent to run the selected trial a second time, and compare, to confirm any addition rates before performing the final action in the cellar.

Summary

  Given time and experimentation with this system many pH-raising trials with additions will become easy and systematic.  Trials will often take less time to prepare and one may taste at several points during the day.

Other helpful tips

  Caution: Using CaCO3 may result in excess calcium and the potential for calcium tartrates to form.  Be sure to monitor this since these tartrates do not react the same as potassium-bi-tartrates.  There is no affordable way to test a calcium excess instability known at this time.

  Make sure the wine samples are not too cold, during the lab additions, since this may slow the reaction and delay the gassing off that may occur making the 375 bottles, after filling, popping their corks or T-tops. [If use screw caps leave them slightly loose to gas off]  Make sure the reactions are complete before filling the 375’s.

  Makes sure all solids are dissolved and dispersed equally into any solution.

  When a wines pH is raised it may lower the amount of free SO2 available in that wine.  Be sure to monitor the free SO2 very closely after performing a de-acidification.

  Winemakers may also be able to blend two trials in 50% to 50% solutions to get an example of a trial in the middle without having to make one up specifically to match the amount desired.  An example may be blending the 0.5 gram per liter with a 1.0 gram per liter to understand what a 0.75 gram per liter addition may result.

  Always remember your palate may become desensitized while tasting and to step away from tasting for an hour or two and then return to taste ones preference.  You may be shocked you had become used to certain levels because of tasting such extremes.

  Keep in mind not to over scrutinize your accuracy in the laboratory.  By this I mean make sure that if we measure something very exactly in the laboratory make sure this action will be able to be replicated outside the lab in the cellar.  It is not uncommon, early on, for winemakers to get extremely exact in the lab only to step into the cellar with sloppy control over what they had just experimented with.

  Best of luck, take your time and be sure to review all angles before taking action in the cellar.  That is what trials are all about!

References: 

Amerine, M.A., Berg, H.W., Cruess,W.V. 1972. The Technology of Wine Making

Dharmadhikari, M.R., Wilker, K.L. 2001. Micro Vinification.

Zoecklein, B.W., Fugelsang, K.C., Gump, B.H., and Nury, F.S. 1999. Wine Analysis and Production

White Tail Run Winery: Award-Winning Wine & Kansas Family Farm

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exterior of White Tail Run Winery's tasting room building

By: Gerald Dlubala

With a name like White Tail Run Winery and Vineyard, you would expect this small boutique winery to have a noticeable connection to, and maybe even affection for, white-tail deer. For the Fuller family, the connection is there, but the term affection may not be accurate.

  “Our first year, we planted 1800 vines, not realizing that a herd of deer would eat them down to the ground nearly right in front of our eyes”, said Christy Fuller-Flyntz, co-owner of White Tail Run Winery and Vineyard in Edgerton, Kansas. “But they did. So even though we started in 2003, that little learning experience put us behind a couple of years from our original production plan, postponing our first harvest until 2008. The economy was not the best then, and it seemed that no one was buying grapes, and if they were, it was at such a low price per pound, we felt as if we were giving them away.”

  That’s when Christy’s father, Dan Fuller Sr., decided to make a semi-sweet seyval and enter it into an amateur wine competition to see if they could make good wine from their Kansas farm. The wine was not only good; it won a bronze medal.

  “So here we are,” said Christy. “Winery and vineyard owners with an eight-foot-tall deer fence around 10 of our 40 acres, and Great Pyrenees farm dogs who may or may not decide to help control other hungry intruders like the raccoon and turkey.”

  Fuller Sr. had lived on site for almost 50 years before planting the vineyard, using it as a family farm and pasture.

  “Growing up, we always had animals,” said Christy. “We had cows, pigs, chickens, horses, you name it. It was the traditional, whole farm setting. A vineyard wasn’t even a twinkle in my dad’s eye, but he always made his own beer and wine as a hobby. When he retired, he had a hard time doing nothing. He was so used to always working with the land that he decided to plant a vineyard, thinking it would only be six months of work, and then he could travel and enjoy his retirement the rest of the year. Yes, we all laughed, too.”

  White Tail Run Winery and Vineyard can be considered an estate winery, where the wine production from start to finish is done on-site and is under the control of the winery owners. They began with five varietals before settling on their main three: lacrosse, chambourcin and seyval. The Fuller’s farm is 40 acres, with five of those presently dedicated to being used as a vineyard.

  Depending on normal uncontrollable conditions that all farms must face, including the drought that hit Kansas this past year, Christy said they average about 15,000 to 17,000 bottles annually. When their vineyard doesn’t sustain that volume, they sometimes buy grapes from other Kansas vineyards. If they have to go further, they look to Missouri vineyards since they are in the same region.

Tastings, Flights & White Tail Run Wines On-the-Go

  “We built our tasting room as a log cabin,” said Christy. “We are very much a boutique winery, and our guests describe it as homey and welcoming. When you first walk in, you’ll see our tasting bar, where we’ll talk with you about our wine flights. We offer 22 different wines in total, including our ready-to-drink sangrias. Your flight allows you to sample up to six of those 22 choices, and each person can customize their flight depending on what they like, dislike or are interested in sampling.”

  “We have seating both inside and outside, and while guests choose where they would like to sit, we’ll pre-pour those flights to order and bring them to your table,” she said. “Tastings are self-paced, with no one to rush you through. We’ll come back occasionally to answer any questions you have about any of the samples. Then, if you want, you can buy a glass or bottle to enjoy here or a bottle to take home. Guests are welcome to stay as long as they wish. We also offer locally made cheese and summer sausage that pair perfectly with our wines. The cheese is from Alma Creamery, which uses all Kansas dairy, and the sausage is from JET Produce and Meats in Leavenworth. Our fruit wines are made with produce from local orchards as well. We found that local produce makes the best wines.”

  The Fullers know that because they are a rural Kansas winery, sometimes it’s hard to get people to look at them. Christy tells The Grapevine that wine drinkers can have preconceived expectations that Kansas wines, especially the fruit wines, may be of lesser quality or too sweet for their tastes.

  “That’s the fun part,” said Christy. “We have to get their attention and let them know that their preconceptions about our wines may not be accurate, especially our fruit wines. We aren’t big on sweet wines ourselves, so those we make are nowhere near, in taste or form, any of the usual Midwest sweet wine offerings. Those that do try them are pleasantly surprised and like them.”

  To get that exposure, Christy says that they go to festivals and markets to provide potential customers the opportunity to try White Tail Run wines. Sometimes, as an additional attention grabber, they’ll attach an eye-catching name to one of their wines, like their Buck Naked Red or Frisky Fawn White.

  “Dan fought us over the Buck Naked label for quite some time,” said Christy. “But you know what? Sometimes, when you’re working in the vineyard in 99-degree temperatures with high humidity, all you want is a cold beer or two, so while sitting around and thinking about this new wine we fermented with a different yeast, we thought it would be funny to maybe name it Buck Naked. Of course, our dad was shocked that we would consider that. He thought no one would buy something like that. But here we are, and whether because of the name or because it’s a really good wine, it’s become one of our best sellers”.

  “We also possess a catering license, which allows us to provide off-site tasting rooms on the go for other local events,” she said. “For example, if a boutique or spa would like a local vendor to come in and sell wine or beer for their customers while there, we can do that. It’s been a great way to meet new people and build new relationships with people that normally might not travel out to us. We are 35 minutes south of KC, and for many urban dwellers, that may be a little far to travel. These catering-type events allow us to bring our wine to them. It’s a great way to expand our reach and meet and make new customers. We also try to have a good rotation of events here at our winery. We’re not within 10 miles of any major cities, so having events here that include other local vendors brings people in and helps support our local economy. As a woman owner, I try to feature majority-women-owned businesses that don’t already have an established storefront. We hope to get their products in front of new customers since many may not have that opportunity.”

Not Just Another Award-Winning Winery and Vineyard

  “Our on-site 18-hole disc golf course was recently ranked ninth in the world for winery disc golf courses,” said Christy. “After COVID, we took a step back as a business to see what we would do if something like that happened again. We decided to build this disc golf course because we thought people could at least get out and play disc golf if there were another shutdown. Even being ranked in the top ten, we want to improve and expand our disc golf course.”

  “We’d also love to expand our tasting room and enclose our outdoor pavilion for more room because that is a need we are experiencing,” she said. “We always look to expand our pop-up presence to meet more people and build those relationships. We are classified as a farm winery, which means that here in Kansas, we can self-distribute within the state. Our wines are in liquor stores from Topeka to Kansas City. That keeps us going through the winter months, when people may want to avoid traveling the gravel roads to get to our tasting room in person.”

Dealing with Challenges

  Christy recommends that before anyone starts a vineyard, they do all the research they can and get quality soil testing done by reputable organizations because, as she says, “soil is everything.” But most of all, it may be the ability to maintain patience and perseverance.

  “Without patience and perseverance, we would have never made it through the initial deer damage we sustained,” said Christy. “We have clay-rich soil that works well for us, but the initial damage from the deer when we were just starting out was hard and truly frustrating. We just have to remember that it’s part of being a farmer. And I’ll add that you should be prepared to work in the heat. Vineyards make their own climate, and it’s usually hot and dirty. Along with my brother Dan “Dusty” Fuller Jr. and one other part-time person, we manually tackle the pruning and outside work to keep the quality up.

Building Generational Habits and Qualities

  First and foremost, we are a proud family-owned and operated farm and winery,” said Christy. “Our children are developing a love for the land by growing and gardening on their own. They sell their produce and cut flowers at the farmers markets we attend, and we hope that instills in them a desire to continue the farm and winery for a third generation. That is our goal. They are learning a great work ethic and how to grow their own food while respecting the land and noticing how sustainability is important to us all. They’re also building social and communicative skills with customers. All of this is important and worth doing, and it gives them a leg up in the future.”

  White Tail Run Winery and Vineyard’s best seller is their original and most awarded offering, the seyval semi-sweet, followed equally by Buck Naked and Oaked Chambourcin.

  For more information or to contact White Tail Run Winery and Vineyard:

White Tail Run Winery and Vineyard

2327 N. 400th Rd.

Edgerton, KS 66021

(913) 893-4003

www.whitetailrunwinery.com

Fatten the Offer: Further Your Reach Through Strategic Partnerships

Cyndi Leave a comment
gears with words strategic and partnership

In the increasingly competitive world of wine, producers are continually seeking new ways to expand their awareness with media, trade and consumers. One of the most effective strategies that wineries can use to broaden their presence is through partnerships with other wineries that have a common thread. Through collaboration, wineries can leverage new opportunities, strengthen their offer and build a better rapport with journalists who constantly try to stay impartial.

Media Roundtables

  Whether virtual or in-person, intimate roundtables with top tier media is a really good way to connect with writers and get your wine in front of the right people. Less is more is the motto. While filling a room with 300 people might seem productive, it often isn’t since organizers end up inviting random people who will not bolster your brand (an Instagram story of your wine label does not move the needle).

  An effective way to sweeten your offer to journalists and trade is to partner with another winery that shares a common thread with you. For example, you could organize a seminar on U.S. domestic Petit Manseng and partner with wineries across the U.S. who produce this grape at the same or better quality level than you. This engages writers because they will get to taste a few versions of the grape from different producers, and when they publish their piece, each winery will be included. While this does not result in a solo feature of your brand, it creates an engaging story that helps consumers and trade understand the category as a whole through the lens of your winery. Journalists (at least the best ones) also love to stay impartial and by partnering with several wineries, it helps them convince their editors to approved the story.

  These events are integral to building a winery’s reputation and attracting new customers. Partnering with another winery for a joint tasting event offers an excellent opportunity to showcase each other’s products to a wider audience. Such collaborations can also involve local festivals, wine fairs, or even private events where wineries share a booth or organize a group tasting.

  One of the big reasons Argentina was able to grow so quickly in quality and recognition over the course of 20 years (whereas places like Burgundy took hundreds) was through collaboration. Sure, there’s competition between the wineries in terms of sales and route to market, but the energy within the domestic industry is one of sharing technology, space in the media market and discussions on how to advance the region in global markets. Roundtable discussions in the U.S. market with a panel of Argentinean producers was one of the big ways they were able to do that.

  Partnerships could also take the form of press trips. It helps reduce cost and bring people to your vineyards. For example, you could have two wineries in Virginia band together and organize a trip and split the work. First, find the common thread between both producers and conduct outreach to get media and/or sommeliers to the wineries and develop an engaging itinerary. It is intriguing for media to have the ability to learn from two or more producers and come back to their table with a story to tell.

  Other strategic partnerships don’t have to include partnering with a wine producer. For example, in 2024 the McBride Sisters Collection partnering with Colgate Optic White in a very successful campaign. For $50, the Central California and New Zealand producer sold their red blend with Optic White Overnight Whitening Pens. It was a smart way to promote the wine but also touch upon a big worry for some people: wine stained teeth! This gets to a new audience without the high costs typically associated with traditional advertising.

  Similarly, wineries can collaborate with local hotels, resorts, or tourism companies to offer package deals, such as weekend stays that include winery tours and tastings. These partnerships expose the wineries to tourists and out-of-town visitors who may not have otherwise been aware of them. By associating their brand with other quality local businesses, wineries can increase their credibility and attract customers who are already engaged with other aspects of the local economy.

Conclusion

  In an industry that relies heavily on brand recognition and customer loyalty, winery partnerships can be an effective way to expand reach, enhance brand awareness, and drive growth with editors. Whether through co-branding initiatives, collaborative events, distribution deals, or digital campaigns, the opportunities for wineries to work together are plentiful and can result in significant benefits for all parties involved. By forming partnerships with other wineries, wineries not only increase their exposure but also contribute to a broader sense of community within the wine industry, which ultimately benefits everyone from the producer to the consumer.