Ah, the wine business...it sounds so romantic. Beautiful, intelligent, highly-evolved men and women, living in paradise, sipping Albari?o and noshing on amuse bouche eagerly prepared by three-star chefs. Truth is, the wine business is tougher than road kill and more confusing than the third Matrix movie.

Gone are the days when Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine and Dr. Howard could plant 10 acres of whatever-the-nursery-gave-them on the family spread, make a few hundred cases of "winemakers reserve" and have restaurants, retailers and rabid collectors lining up for allocations. Nowadays, the competition for the consumer's short attention span is as intense as an over-extracted, old vine, Petite Sirah from a low yielding, mountain vineyard. Wineries are screaming "Look at me! Look at me!" Customers are rolling their eyes and stifling yawns. They're also patting their heads and rubbing their stomachs, but that's another story.

So how's a winery supposed to succeed in today's globally warmed business climate. Making great wines is a good start. A fistful of 94's from the top wine publications puts a little giddy up in everybody's hitch. But even high scores are no guarantee for success if a winery doesn't have a solid public relations strategy to spread the word among gatekeepers and consumers.

What are the keys to a successful public relations strategy you ask? Good messaging and good communications. To thrive nowadays wineries must develop persuasive messaging that rings true with gatekeepers and consumers and effective communications programs to deliver that messaging to the various target audiences. One false step and you're back in Michigan picking up balls at the driving range.

So how does a winery go about developing their messaging and communications? Here are my Top 11 Requisites for a Successful PR Campaign:

1. Set Clear Goals

2. Identify Key Messaging Points

3. Create Support Materials that reflect Key Messaging Points

4. Write Storylines and Pitch Letter

5. Develop Media Database

6. Establish Samples Program

7. Monitor Editorial Calendars

8. Schedule Media Presentations & Tours

9. Disseminate Articles and Mentions to Trade and Consumers

10. Continually Develop New Hooks and Storylines

11. Be Different

Over the next few months we will explore each of these bullet points in a way that they have never been explored before. When finished you will know everything there is to know about designing and implementing a successful PR campaign for your winery.

About the Author

Mike Lynch is a founding partner of Big Bang Communications, a PR/marketing company devoted to the wine industry. His articles and short stories have appeared in Wine & Spirits, Wine Enthusiast, and Wine Spectator. Mike also co-authored the LynchBob cartoons with famed illustrator/designer Bob Johnson. He can be reached at mike@bigbangcommunications.com.

A synopsis on Fine Wines.

Vintage Wine with "President" Value


Who can appreciate the good things in life and the taste of a good wine better than a Frenchman? And from all the Frenchmen, Mr Chirac proved to be a ...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Fine Wines Items For Viewing

Sunrise Ridge Mendocino Chardonnay


The grapes for the 2003 Sunrise Ridge Chardonnay achieved a wonderful balance of sugar and acidity and in early September were picked by hand, crushed, pressed and immediately transferred to small American oak barriques for fermentation and 11 months of ageing. This is a "reserve" style of Chardonnay - rich complex fruit flavors abound, with an underpinning of pleasant oak aromas, all supported by bright, crisp acidity. Elegance with flavors of green apples and pears provides this wine with a long, memorable finish. SRMW03 SRMW03


Price: 24.99 USD



Current Fine Wines News

Grand Opening!

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 07:08:57 PDT
Come and join us for the grand opening of the Wine Club in San Juan, Isla Verde Puerto Rico. The Wine Club will open Tuesdays through Saturdays and will offer happy hours from 5pm to 7pm. It features private wine cellars, VIP area and more. Grand opening will be on April the 26th. Join Us!

Escape's picks of the week

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:12:48 PDT
China is one of the fastest growing destinations for tourists and businessmen, but many visitors are intimidated by the language barrier. Now there's a possible solution. The UK's biggest wine event comes to the Business Design Centre in Islington.A new collection of five-star holiday lodges has opened in Portreath on the North Cornish coast.

A $13 backstage pass to the revolution: Why I bought 3 copies of Gary Vee's book

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 05:41:37 PDT
Right now, Gary Vee's book is #57 on the Amazon top sellers list. Ironically, he's ahead of the Black Swan, the 7 Habits of Highly Effective people, and Getting Things Done. You want to talk about improbable, but effective... look no further. So why did I buy the book? Like I said before, I don't even drink. It's not about the book and it's not about Gary Vee. It's about the idea that, by connecting directly with your audience, being authentic and customer focused, and using social media

Trapped!

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:12:03 PDT
Yesterday I asked Alexander-the-great if he could fit a lock to my bedroom door when he had some time. He was feeling very D.Y.I.-ish and happened to have a minute and did it almost straight away. I could probably have done it myself, but I have only two semi-rusted screwdrivers and a Gadget-pen to do it with and he offered anyway. Very nice… Not sure why I did it, but when I went to bed last night on a whim I locked the door. Sometimes I can be really daft - Why Larry?! Why?! did I not o

Last stop! - Mumbai (Bombay), India

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 23:33:50 PDT
Jump to the full entry & travel map Mumbai (Bombay), India Finally feeling better we left Rishikesh and headed for the station in Haridwar to get the train to Delhi. We bumped into some friends that we had met on the trekking trip which was nice and made plans to meet in Delhi. The day was going well so far..... THEN, boarding the train i had my bag stolen! We had looked away for a second they were so quick just saw it and took it. It had my camera, Ipod, Journal, my fleece and lots of ot

Israel Anglo Singles Sponsors Candle Lit Passover Seder

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 03:48:30 PDT
Israel Anglo Singles is sponsoring a candle lit Passover Seder and wine tasting event on Saturday night . This special event is open to all Israel Anglo Singles with or without their children (ages 4-17).No age limit. The event takes place April 19 at Leyden residence in Ra'anana. Please bring a Passover dish, chicken, meat, salad or wine.


Wine Rack
Wine Writer
Vintage Wine

Labels: Wine Cellar

&type=page">