Jeff Stai: Winery Proprietor, Blogger, 21st Century Wine Man
Are you a winery for bloggers? That means you support, acknowledge and encourage bloggers to engage with your winery. How many blogs do you subscribe to? Talk about? Do you know any bloggers by name? Face? I think I’m starting a new campaign, a regular post about Wineries for Bloggers. Wineries that acknowledge and support the work of wine bloggers will also be recognized and appreciated for their forward thinking, progressive business acumen and twenty-first century-ness. Wineries that put Social Media to use are leaders in the wine industry and will be noted.
I’ve been polling bloggers about what they want from wineries for the wine industry. It was an informal poll via e-mail, twitter, conversations, and blogs. (I’m no Nate Silver www.fivethirtyeight.com, hence, informal poll) While I currently work for Hahn Family Wines, I publish this blog separately, outside of my work there. (in essence, I sometimes feel like I straddle both worlds, the wine marketer and the DIY blogger.)
Bloggers’ requests are pretty obvious and seem so simple considering their influence, passion and dedication to their work. Which brings me to another point: So many wine bloggers do it for love. Blogging likely doesn’t qualify even as a second job and most are lucky if their costs are covered by ads or supplemental support. There is a LOT of discussion going on about credibility in their industry, thanks to the first ever North American Wine Bloggers Conference, and that conversation will continue I’m sure. Rest assured, bloggers are not “bought” and are careful to reflect honestly their tastes, interests and values. They are a fun, educated, decent bunch of people we should all be so lucky to call friends.
Back to the question at hand: How can wineries contribute to the wine blogging part of our industry?
Here’s what bloggers said: 
Wine Bloggers want acknowledgement, appreciation, respect. Frankly, many wine bloggers are as influential as any press, newspaper or print media when it comes to wine. They should have similar access, special blogger tasting forums, events, passes, discounts and wineries that are proactive in reaching out to them. But that means you have to know them. This is wine marketing and social media at its finest. Twentieth century marketing as Marta Kagen put it was “The old communication model…a monologue.” Social Networking is the new communication model which is, she says, “…a dialogue.” The numbers that back up this assertion are ridiculous, as in overwhelming, in support of a new model. (see What the F**K is Social Media) By all means, approach bloggers to come join you, but get to know who they are and what their blog is about. And if bloggers are coming to you, wineries, they are passionate about the industry and what you do, say yes! Can you spare your winemaker for 5 or 10 minutes? Or maybe the Vineyard Manager? Say “yes!” Anyone who is invested in the story, the vineyards and the juice. Welcome the wine bloggers. Understand that most wine bloggers will likely know more than your average tasting room employee. Maybe not about your brand, but about a diverse cross section of the wine world in general.
Look, even if they don’t LOVE your wine, they’ll appreciate your courtesy, customer service and other merits. Wine is such a personal and varied product. And wine bloggers are here to stay. The most recent count has the number of wine blogs near 1,000 world wide. I believe audiences will sort the quality, humor and content for themselves. Bloggers that aren’t meeting standards just won’t last. The internet is an ultimate democracy; yes, access is fairly easy, but those with influence have something valuable to say, to contribute and possibly they have a good editor.
My recommendation to wineries is to start reading wine blogs. Subscribe, engage, connect. “In 2008, if you’re not on a social networking site, you’re not on the internet.” (from What the F**K is Social Media) You’ll have to catch up someday. Wineries that don’t know any better will learn the hard way. Wine brings people together and so does social networking. There is a perfect convergence of populations here; One where wineries, bloggers and wine consumers win.
Are you a winery that supports the blogging industry?
Thanks to the following bloggers/twitterati for contributing to the conversation: @winebratsf, @juicecowboy, @sonadora, @winequester, @jugshop, @alexlewis, @scaldron, and many others across the bloggosphere. Thank you for your contribution to the wine world.
And special thanks to Ward Kadel and Megan Kenney for sharing their Wine Blogger Conference photos.
Nice Lisa! Take the initiative. So many wineries are missing out on social media, especially the wineries that discount or don’t understand what blogging is all about.
Hello, heard of brand ambassadors or target demographics?
Excellent, Amy! Please take the follow up initiative and explain in clear terms what you mean by brand ambassador, tactics, etc. on your own blog or here and link it here in a response. I think we’ll be able to have clarity, traction and progress collectively. I hope I offer a slightly unique voice coming from winery marketing as will you from your experience (and SO many bloggers!). Thanks for responding!
Hi Lisa!
It was really great to meet you at the WBC!! I really enjoyed reading your blog because I am not a blogger and the reason I went to the conference is to #1, find out as much information as I could about blogging to see if it would benefit our winery and #2, meet all of the wine bloggers that I follow but had never met. I enjoyed being able to put a name to a face. I have a great deal of respect for the love and passion most of you have for wine and wine blogging! I would rather take wine tips from a blogger who has passion for what they do then someone who does it because it is a “job” if you know what I mean. Thank you for posting this blog because for me, coming to the WBC as a “winery” person, I was afraid of insulting any of the bloggers by pushing my wine on them. I am glad to know that you don’t feel that way. It was a great weekend and in reading you post I would love to know how I can best serve the wine bloggers and their blogs!
Cheers,
Jennifer
P.S. That’s me in the pictures you posted – not my finest moment!
Thanks for putting it all out there on the table Lisa! While there are a few wineries that get it and are very involved, there are far more that are clueless as to why we blog, and what we are blogging about.
To quote The Dangerfield “i just can’t get me no respect”. We aren’t greedy, we don’t want to drink all of your wine. We just want to experience new wineries and be able to share that information with our fellow wine lovers.
The fact that we do indeed know more than the average tasting room employee, point to the lack of education that some larger wineries give their employees. I would rather spend more per bottle at a micro-winery, to get the in depth information & tasting experience that I want, then go to McWinery and have no information other than what is written on the tasting sheet.
Wineries take note – PLEASE educate your employees! It is a simple but effective sales tool and makes us come back for more. We are eager learners, both to absorb and share the knowledge via our blogs. Help us please!
Thanks, WineBratSF.
The WBC and now more posts like this one are opening up the conversation more and more. I’m hoping the wineries that are already taking the lead go even further. I’m also hoping bloggers will join the direct conversation and help lead as well. Wineries don’t know it yet, but bloggers could be the best thing that has ever happened to the industry!
AMEN!
Personally, I am planning on taking over the wine world, blogger style
Great post!!! I think more and more wineries are getting the blogging picture. I know in Virginia, I have walked into a few and the winemaker or tasting room manager has said, hey your John from Anything WIne right. Nice shot to the ego, but also says hey, this small VA winery gets it.
I hope as you said, that we are there because we have passion for the industry and for the most part do this all on our own dimes!
Again great post!
John
Stellar post. I am simply a food blogger, but as far as wine recommendations go, I trust a wine blogger much more than a winery or a sommelier working for one. Keep blogging people, we are listening.
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Great post…and one that every winery (and wine industry professional) should see, read and most importantly DIGEST.
And it’s happening…slowly. Too slowly really.
Here in the New York wine world, it’s been an uphill battle, but a lot of wineries finally see the value in at least recognizing my blog as more than a whacko on Long Island.
Few have joined the social media fray thus far, however. A few have started blogs, but they never last long as any sort of valuable resource.
EVERY winery should look at what El Jefe has done with Twisted Oak Winery. He’s a case study for how an interested, interesting owner can engage bloggers and other social media consumers and have it make a difference to his business.
Agreed on all counts, Lenn. But I think we’d also agree that El Jefe is so unique, and willing to take risks with his company as to make it a leader in the industry. He has made the bridge between the blogging world and winery owner in a way few, if any, could duplicate. You are right, though, he is a case study to admire, imitate and drink wine with by the case load.
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