Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/111102
UNCORKING PR PAUL WAGNER should carefully select the writers you contact, so that you are presenting the right wines and styles to the writers who are most likely to appreciate them. Robert Parker Jr. is well-known for preferring wines with exceptional ripeness. It makes no sense to send him discreet and elegant wines, because they likely wouldn't get his top scores. Dan Berger dislikes overripe wines with high alcohol and low acidity. You can't make a wine that would make both Parker and Berger happy. And you shouldn't send every wine to every writer. Choose your spots, and make sure that your wines are going to bat in situations where they have the best chances of success. HOW TO GET INCLUDED A major writer visited your wine region, and every winery wanted to be part of the story. Plans were made, visits organized, and interviews arranged. But when the story came out, not every winery got the same kind of coverage. Some wineries got ignored completely, and others were barely mentioned. And one winery made it sound as if it was charge of the whole region, and got most of the attention. What went wrong? Sometimes it's simply a question of space. When we call the writers, they tell us that they loved the winery, the people and the wines … but had a limit of 500 words in the publication, and they had to focus on one or two. OK, so why did they focus on someone else, instead of you? Wine writers are journalists, and they are always looking for the best story and the best wines. So what can you do to improve your odds next time? Give them really memorable quotes – quotes they can't possibly ignore. Yes, this takes effort, and you really need to work on this stuff in advance. But if you give a long, complicated explanation for an answer to a question, and the guy next door condenses everything you said into a funny, 10-word aphorism, he's going to be the one who is quoted in the story. Provide writers more than just your story. Wineries so often fall into the trap of selling their wine and brand to a journalist. But if the story is about the region, then it makes sense to talk about the whole region, not just your brand. Provide facts, photos and statistics on the region as a whole, and you will get more coverage than someone who rattles on endlessly about his or her own brand. Make sure that you know what the writer wants, and deliver it. If the writer is working on a story about cabernet sauvignon, and you want to talk about your chardonnay, you are missing the point, and are George Petersen Insurance Agency Your Trusted Insurance Partner Since 1935 With deep roots in the wine country, we have a team of industry experts that specialize in vineyard & winery insurance coverages. Our wine program includes: • Experience Modification Projection • On-Site Safety & Human Resource Services • In-House Claims Review & Management • Online Safety & Loss Control Platform • Winery Bond Program • Access to a wide range of competitive carriers George Petersen Insurance Agency | 1.800.236.9046 | www.gpins.com | License # 0603247 18 V I N E YARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT | Mar - Apr 2013 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m