Sales Strategy & Tips


DIRECT WINE SALES: It’s time to RETHINK Loyalty Programs!

DIRECT WINE SALES: It’s time to RETHINK Loyalty Programs! Sandra Hess, founder, DTC Wine Workshops Consulting Agency June 26, 2018 There are two BIG CHALLENGES in direct to consumer wine sales today that I hear about in almost every wine region when presenting workshops and working with clients. Challenge #1 […]


How are Wine Brands Engaging with Today’s Wine Consumer?

How are Wine Brands Engaging with Today’s Wine Consumer? 5/15/18 San Francisco, CA – At DTC Wine Workshops, this question comes up on a regular basis among our winery clients across the nation. Wine consumer engagement trends have disrupted the wine industry for the past decades as enthusiasts can now […]


Why your Wine Brand Needs a Digital Marketing Strategy

While email is still the number one communication method chosen by club members surveyed among our clients throughout the US this past year, we also know that open and click-through rates from this important customer segment continue to decline. With over 9000 wine brands competing for wine consumer attention across […]


“Top 5 Direct Wine Sales Tips” Guest Blog Post

Today, I have the pleasure of introducing Stefani Ginotti to the DTC Consultant Network. With close to three decades of coaching and consulting experience, Stefani Ginotti is a proven leader within the greater Sacramento area and the California wine industry. Her expertise is focused on discovering business efficiencies that can be […]


“ROI of Email Marketing for Wineries” – Patty Ross, Guest Blog Post

DTC Consultant Network member Patty Ross shares best practices and the ROI of email marketing for wineries in this guest blog post. “Email marketing has an ROI of 3800%.” – Direct Marketing Association “When it comes to purchases made as a result of receiving a marketing message, email has the highest conversion rate […]


Guest Blog Post by Ken Majer – “How to Create a Successful DTC Culture”

There are many programmatic approaches that can enhance Direct To Consumer wine sales. These can include a focus on building your wine club; establishing partnerships with the hospitality industry, transportation companies, travel companies, and destination management companies; an efficient tasting room strategy; systematic personal outreach efforts; and an efficient use […]


Guest Blog Post by Ryan Clark – Tips on DTC Wine Marketing

One of the few ways to have a successful winery comes down to DTC (Direct to Consumer) sales. It’s crucial to draft a marketing plan and have the operational tools in place to execute your plan. Drafting a plan: Take some time away from the daily duties that can easily […]


Guest Blog Post by Rick Morgin – Winery Dashboards

What is a winery dashboard and why should wineries use them? Three hypothetical wineries are committed to investing to grow their direct to consumer (DTC) sales. Each winery has segmented their target market based on price. In this example, target consumers who spend more than $20.00 per 750ml bottle of […]


Guest Blog Post by Marc Engel – Perspectives on Wine Marketing Research

Conducting wine marketing research in the wine industry is like hugging a porcupine. It’s hard to wrap your arms around, and you better know what you’re doing or else you can get hurt. The challenge is endemic to wine itself. With what other product do consumers get so overwhelmed by […]


Winery Hiring is UP as Direct Sales SURGE!

There has never been a better time in history to sell wine direct to the consumer. The recent Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) “Secrets of a Successful Tasting Room” report, released in conjunction with a live video stream by Rob McMillan and guests discussing the report, details interesting trends. One key takeaway for me […]


Guest Blog Post by Hilarie Larson: Empower your Winery New Hires

Empower your Winery New Hires. When it comes to the DTC wine business, we all invest copious amounts of time and money to find the perfect software to run our day-to-day business. We work hard at acquiring and retaining wine club members and creating programs to keep them engaged and […]


Do Phone Trees belong in Wineries?

Want to understand why customers and members call your winery?  Want to have more meaningful conversations with your loyal customers and fans? Want to create a memorable experience the first time a visitor interacts with your staff? Answer the phone.  [February 16, 2015 – San Francisco, CA] We have seen […]


DTC Wine Guest Blog Post – Christopher Huber on Gracious Greetings

Years ago I worked with Marriott, within the Residence Inn division of 300 hotels. I was fortunate to be on the Quality Assurance team with an amazing leader and six of the best peers I’ve ever had the pleasure of working alongside. We had an invigorating, challenging task: to rework […]