Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/111102
Wine Road group annually distributes 400,000 printed copies of the map, now much bigger and available as a mobile app, and the region is further promoted on an extensive website with a blog that's updated three times a week. The group also reaches out by way of social media such as Facebook and Twitter. A cardinal rule: No playing favorites. "One thing that has always been key for the Wine Road is that every member, regardless of size, gets equal benefits," Costa explained. "No one is paying more or paying less. If we do an ad, no one is paying more or paying less. We keep it a realequal playing field." That evenhanded approach is something that Betsy Nachbaur, who with her husband, Bill, owns the 3,000-cases-per-year Acorn Winery, appreciates. "The organization takes care of us as well as it takes care of the wineries that make 100,000 cases a year," she said. "We all feel valued, heard, respected." The Nachbaurs purchased their property in 1990, incorporated as a winery in 1994 and joined the Wine Road in 2000, so they've seen the outreach evolve to keep up with new technology and the changing audience. "We've been on the cutting edge of online tickets, social media," Nachbaur said. And Costa has made sure there are classes and coaches in the new technology for "some of us who might not have been so adroit at it." Beth Costa, executive director of the Wine Road, attributes the group's success to being responsive to members' needs. Listening is as important as talking, so after Wine Road events, wineries get a questionnaire asking them how things went, what worked and what didn't. Visitors who bought tickets online (and most do) get a followup thank-you note with a link to Costa's e-mail address asking for feedback. "We respond to all of them, good or bad," she said. "Whatever the comments are we address them. We've made changes to our events based on customer and member feedback. When you pay attention to all of your customers, I think you can be successful." Betsy Nachbaur of Acorn Winery credits the Wine Road with helping to draw national attention to her winery. AT A GLANCE + The Wine Road is a model of success for regional winery trade associations. + The group includes nearly 200 wineries in the Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River valleys. + It hosts three major events per year, each drawing many thousands of visitors. + Wine Road is funded through an annual assessment and income generated by special events. + All members pay the same dues, so everyone's voice carries equal weight. w w w. v w m media.com Without the customer traffic brought in by the Wine Road, "We would not have the national reputation and a wine club made up of people from all over the country," Nachbaur said. "Guests come to us for Wine Road events who wouldn't have come otherwise. Our job is to expose them to wines that they're going to love and want to visit again and want to buy in the future." Another plus, she said, is the education outreach; wineries get tips on how to be good hosts and customers are encouraged to be M a r - A p r 2 0 13 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 77