Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/111102
streaming service like Skype Premium ($40) for smaller groups, or Livestream ($49-$399) or Ustream ($599) for larger groups. Mattson is also experimenting with YouTube Live, which she believes will also be a good option. JUMP-STARTING A VIRTUAL TASTING "The learning curve for live videocasting takes five or six sessions," said Cailyn McCauley, co-founder of Creative Furnace, which operates TasteLive.com. location by tasting with distributors early in the day and wine bloggers in evening," Quigley added. "The tasting moves from time zone to time zone and results in 12-14 hours of conversation about the brand." Conducting virtual tastings for distributors and sales teams reduces costs and travel time for winery staff, and leverages the economics of scale around staging a live production. "Many wineries use this approach like a virtual market blitz," said Quigley, whose company handles all of the scriptwriting and logistics required to produce the event. It is then videocast on the TasteLive special events channel or, for an additional fee, the winery's own branded channel. At ToutSuite Social Club, founders Didier Loustau and Susan Quinn have created a salon format for virtual tastings that trades on the social aspect of wine as a lifestyle. Virtual tastings are filmed from the company's state-of-the-art studio in downtown Napa, Calif., and typically attract an audience comprised of 50% followers and 50% new consumers looking to discover more about wine, cooking or bartending. "Some of our clients are wineries who have tried producing live video on their own but were not happy with the results," said Quinn. "They already know how to engage followers using social media and they want to keep that connection strong." ToutSuite recently produced a retrospective tasting for a winery that is sold out of its current-release wines. "Wineries that allocate their wines look at their waiting list as money in the bank," Loustau said. "Virtual tastings are a good way for them to stay connected with their prospective customers." Deborah Parker Wong is the Northern California editor for The Tasting Panel magazine. She earned her WSET Diploma in 2009. Sherrie Housman tastes and chats virtually with sommelier Pamela Busch through TasteLive. McCauley and her business partner, Joel Quigley, are one-stop shopping for individual wineries and groups that want to host live virtual tastings for targeted audiences. They offer clients a menu of options for customizing a tasting and apply best practices designed to target audiences, such as wine bloggers, based on their palates. "For a 3,000-case winery, producing a live tasting can be overwhelming," McCauley said. "Some of our most successful events reach trade and media from a single 68 V I N E YARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT | Mar - Apr 2013 Comments? Please e-mail us at feedback@vwmmedia.com. NEW & USED UNITS AVAILABLE All Major Credit Cards Accepted COLD SHOT CHILLERS® • • • • • Low Temperature Glycol Chillers Custom Designed Cooling Applications from 2 to 100 Tons Most Machines Shipped in 2 Weeks or Less 5 Year Compressor Warranty Providing Cooling Solutions for 30+ Years • Free Technical Support 24/7/365 866-307-9731 FAX: 281-227-8404 www.waterchillers.com w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m