Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/100792
UNCORKING PR PAUL WAGNER WINERY F This was the real shock. There was no website at all. I could find only a phone number that I tracked down using Google. I checked again ��� no website at all. This did not look good, and reluctantly I called the winery. The owner answered the phone, and immediately invited me to come to the winery for a visit. Given that it was 400 miles away, and I needed the information in 24 hours, I declined. No worries, the owner then gave me 20 minutes of lovely information about the winery, the wines and the family of owners. It was charming, captivating. By the time she was done, I felt like I was part of the family. With our relationship in full flower, I asked if she could send me some of this information by fax or e-mail. She laughed. She didn���t have a single word written down. In fact, she didn���t have any written materials at all! Luckily, I had taken notes. And given that she makes a very small amount of wine, and it sells out within 10 days, she doesn���t see any reason to change. It is hard to argue with that logic. Does your wine sell out in 10 days? Probably not. And part of the reason may be the way you offer information to your customers and your distribution and sales network. If you have a website, you should take another look at it. Don���t look at it from the view point of someone who works at the winery; look at it from the eyes of someone who really wants to get good information in a hurry. WEBSITE CHECKLIST How does your website look? How does it work? Does it offer a quick and easy source of information to anyone who visits? Here are a few rules to help guide you: + Every wine you make should have a fact sheet. If you are going to take the effort to make the wine, you should also make the effort to put a story together to sell it. + Every visitor to your website should be able to find basic information about your winery and wines quickly and easily. It shouldn���t be an Easter egg hunt. + The information you offer should be more than just figures. Alcohol levels may be important to the TTB, but most people would not list them among the top three facts they want to learn about a given wine. + Also include a story behind the wine. Facts tell, and stories sell. Think like a sommelier, retailer or salesperson. What would you like to know about this wine? I hope your winery website wasn���t one of those I visited during this exercise. But what if it is? Paul Wagner formed Balzac Com- munications & Marketing and is an instructor for Napa Valley College���s Viticulture and Enology Department. Comments? Please e-mail us at feedback@vwmmedia.com. Advertise Now Online In Print 800.535.5670 REGISTER NOW 2013 PRESENTS 2013 Midwest Grape & Wine Conference and Trade Show CONFEREN 20 CE & TR AD February 7-9, 2013 ��� St. Charles, Missouri ��� midwestgrape.com E SHOW V I N E YARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT | Jan - Feb 2013 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m