Trends: 2009 Will Be Year Of Comfort Food, Cocktails, Organic/Fresh Labels and Mediterranean Dishes

A new report from Chicago-based market research firm Mintel predicts that the recession will be profitable for those companies catering to an increased interest in comfort foods, classic cocktails, organic/fresh food labels and Mediterranean dishes.  So which wines pair well with braised pork, olives or hummus? Tasting room staffers:  You may want to work these [...]

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Happy Holidays!!

Karma, Rich and I wish you and your family a truly joyous holiday season, leading into a prosperous new year.  Thank you all for your support this past year.  It has been an amazing year because of you!!  Now go and grab a glass of your favorite wine (Finger Lakes of course!) and toast with [...]

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Winery Marketing: Wine PR & Marketing Books I Love

There are a couple of books that I have found invaluable this year and I thought I would share them with you.  If you’re in a planning phase and looking for some guidance and fresh ideas for your winery public relations and marketing plan, you may want to add these two books to your list. [...]

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Winery Marketing: It May Be Time to Create a Plan B

After reading an email update about New York Governor Paterson’s proposed 2009-2010 budget plan that would eliminate the budget of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, I sat back and thought about what that would mean for my friends here in the Finger Lakes wine industry. It certainly would make promoting the region more [...]

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Winery Marketing: Getting to Know You Via Social Media

Looking back on 2008, one of the best decisions I’ve made in regards to starting Melissa Dobson PR & Marketing, was to jump in and engage in social media. Initially skeptical, it didn’t take long for me to realize just how powerful some of the platforms can be for establishing a brand presence. Although informal [...]

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Report: American Association of Wine Economists-”Modeling Perceptions Of Locally Produced Wine Among Restauranteurs In New York City”

I was just alerted to this paper by Twitter friend Tish of WineForAll.com. The abstract summary of the paper written by Trent Preszler and Todd M. Schmit for American Association of Wine Economists reads, “Poor perceived product quality, an inadequate sales force, and intense competition from wines produced elsewhere are common reasons cited for why [...]

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Winery Marketing: People Connect with People, not Wine Bottles

One of my current projects involves creating content for a local wine association’s new website. I found this post by Ben Chinn, Director of Web Design and Development at Inertia Beverage Group. Ben refers to winery websites as “virtual tasting rooms” in that they are another extension of your winery, its people and your winery’s [...]

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