Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/89494
MANAGEMENT WINE WISE MARKETING Ooo-eee, Baby! Won't you take your wine club on a sea cruise? Elizabeth Slater is the owner of In Short Direct Marketing, a direct marketing com- pany that works with individual wineries and winery associations. hat's the song many wineries are singing these days, as wine- focused cruises have become popular and are reported to be an excellent way to connect with their customers. Vintners and fans of their wines are increasingly filling ships for cruises in the Mediterranean, Carib- bean, South America, Alaska and other parts of the world. River cruis- es are also available inside and out of the United States. Winery princi- pals and winemakers in Maryland, Nebraska, Illinois, Arizona, Michi- gan, Oregon and California, among other states, will be on the open seas within the next 12 months, educating passengers on their wines and serving them with meals. If you fancy a week or more on a luxury liner, stopping at interesting ports while at the same time pro- moting your wines, a cruise is for you. The amount of work you'll put in doesn't appear to be too strenu- ous, and according to the winery reps I spoke with in researching this column, the benefits make up for the effort required. CRUISE COMPANIES Three cruise providers, Food & Wine Trails, Wine Club Cruises through Expedia's CruiseShipCen- ters, and Wine Makers Cruises were interviewed for this story. Also check with the various cruise lines to see which ones have wine cruis- es that include U.S. wineries and that fit your needs and expectations. These wine-oriented sailings offer wine lovers a variety of wine- related activities. While the cruise routes and companies vary, there are standard activities, including a welcome reception on this first night. Sometimes the reception is on the ship and at other times it's at a hotel the night before passengers board the ship. In addition, there are at least two seminars and tast- ings, each lasting a couple hours, plus winemaker lunches and/or din- ners. In some cases, winery own- ers or winemakers also lead a shore excursion to a local winery or other wine venue. For example, during a 10-day Alaskan cruise, Wine Club Cruises offers a welcome-aboard party, four winemaker dinners, three spe- cialty wine dinners, four educational seminars, a social tasting and a fare- well tasting. SHORT COURSE Research the lines that offer wine cruises and choose one that's right for you. Establish goals; what are you look- ing to achieve from a cruise? Know exactly what is expected of you before, during and after the cruise. Food & Wine Trails regularly works with wineries to organize wine cruises in the Mediterranean, and other destinations. WWW.VWM-ONLINE.COM Start promoting the cruise a year in advance to get the best response from consumers, and use several methods of promotion. NOV - DEC 2012 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT 21 ELIZABETH SLATER