With its new, legalized status and its range of formats—from teas to edibles, vapes to infusions—how does cannabis appeal to the educated, affluent consumer who favors wine? And what will its impact be on the wine business? This session will explore the cannabis consumer and the new wave of entrepreneurs reaching out to them with events and activities modeled on wine marketing. It also will cover the legal and regulatory landscape to help wineries and growers assess the challenge and opportunity of this newly legitimized industry. Expect a lively discussion and come with your questions.
Moderator: Rebecca Stamey-White, Hinman & Carmichael, LLP, California
Speakers: Cynthia Salarizadeh, Salar Media Group, California Liz Stahura, BDS Analytics, Colorado
Will a new hybrid of canned rosés and stout-infused Cabernets cannibalize the traditional wine market or usher in a new generation of consumers to the wine category? Coffee, wine, beer and spirits are all finding ways onto the consumer palate — sometimes in the same swallow. As a marketer, how do you decide when/if blending your wine with a product from another category is right for your brand? What insights drive those decisions? Is it consumer preference or market pressure to preserve share that’s ceding to other beverages and buzzables? Hear from producers who’ve braved the gray areas between categories.
Moderator: Ziggy Eschliman, The Wine Gal, California
Speakers: Chip Forsythe, Rebel Coast Winery, California Ami Opisso, Bridge Lane Wine, New York Jean-Claude Tetreault, Trillium Brewing, Massachusetts
The popularity of wine grapes come and go, but the queen of white grapes – Chardonnay – continues to command more market share than any other variety, comprising a quarter of all wines sold in the United States. So what’s driving this vinous dominance? The answer is clear: in each sector of the global wine marketplace, Chardonnay is being produced in a range of styles and price points with a level of quality that has never been better – or more interesting.
From the winegrowing side, we’ll examine replanting and plant material trends as well as alternative approaches that have met with critical success, such as natural and neutral vessel bottlings. From a marketplace perspective, we’ll look at the new Chardonnay mix in retail and restaurants as well as journalistic insights into what’s driving the latest renaissance. Chardonnay may wear many disguises, but by the time this session ends, you’ll walk away with a better understanding of why this revered and oft controversial wine grape continues to drive both creative expression and profitability in the world of fine wine.
Moderator: Ray Isle, Food & Wine Magazine, New York
Speakers: Greg Brewer, Brewer – Clifton Winery, California Mimi Casteel, Bethel Heights Vineyard, Oregon Shaunt Oungoulian, Populis Wine, California Virginia Philip, The Breakers Palm Beach, Florida
Space is limited to 25 attendees. Registration for this tour will be onsite only, located in a designated room from where tour will start, 30 minutes before the tour begins. Enrollment onsite is on a first-come, first-served basis. However, only two representatives per company may enroll in this tour. Selecting this tour during the registration process does not guarantee enrollment. You must be one of the first 25 attendees to show up in the designated room on-site to register for this tour.
From new packaging innovations to customer management software, apps and digital media engagement tools, vendors are constantly creating new ways to help wine marketers engage with their customers. You’ll see some of these new offerings employed in Unified talks this year. Now stroll the Unified show floor to meet the companies behind some of the newest ways to differentiate your product and manage your message.
Journey mapping—visually depicting the customer experience from the first interaction with your brand through (hopefully) an ongoing relationship—is a powerful tool to understand and drive your business from a customer perspective. This how-to session will cover the basics of creating a customer journey map and using it to enhance the experience at each touchpoint in the customer journey. Map your way to fostering more relevant, creative and meaningful engagement with potential, first-time and long-time customers.
Moderator: Jennifer Leitman, Francis Ford Coppola Presents, California
Speakers: Gary Finnan, Juice Box Direct, California Sandra Hess, DTC Wine Workshops, California Bill Smart, Lambert Bridge, California
A wealth of technologies are on the market today, promising to transform customer data into actionable information for wine marketers. New apps and digital services leverage point-of-sale data, demographics, buying trends, patterns of use/consumption of social media to help grow reach, segment customer communications, automate and augment marketing messages, and more. Are they within your budget? In this session, we’ll explore some of the solutions tech-savvy wineries are using, and the price points and ROI you can expect from each. You may be surprised how affordable innovation can be!
Moderator: Erin Kirschenmann, Wine Business Monthly, California
Speakers: Robert Breedlove, Alpha Omega Collective, California Tanya Zumach, Argyle Winery, Oregon
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