Winery Facebook Fan Page: Ceja Vineyards

Amelia, Pedro, Armando and Martha Ceja

Okay wineries.  I bet you have your Facebook fan page up and running.  You update it with event details, photos from your winery, photos of your bottles and labels, new release announcements.  You’re thinking that you’re on track and ahead of the pack, right?

Although these are all great elements for your page, take your strategy one step further.  Gather your staff and have a no-holds-barred discussion of what it is about your winery that your customers and wine club members LOVE about you.  Make sure that that core of your brand is woven into each and every post.  Ceja Vineyards in Napa and Sonoma is a great example of a winery fan page that does this very effectively.  Here’s why:

• Ceja Vineyards is founded by a Latino family of first-generation Mexican-American winegrowers from Napa and Sonoma Valleys named Amelia, Pedro, Armando and Martha Ceja.
• The Cejas’ page exudes a tight-knit, hard-working family winery that is proud of its heritage and carries its fun, warm Latino roots into each post.  The Ceja Vineyards staff all contribute to the page and there’s a familiar, friendly voice that says, “Hola Friends!”
• For example, a Ceja Vineyards staff person posted that it was Amelia Ceja’s birthday along with a picture of her.  Amelia received birthday wishes there from fans.
• The page has a post that links to a cool wine and music site that features Ceja Vineyards wines with music from Tito Puente, a famous Latin jazz artist.  Click on the songs and it transports you to a fun time that requires a Latino wine.
• The Cejas have posted a photo album called “In the Beginning” that tells the story of the winery’s roots.  You can see the passion and enthusiasm in the faces of the family members.  After checking out their page, you get a true sense of who they are and what their wines mean to them.

One family in the Ceja gang - Ariel, Amelia, Navek, Dalia and Pedro Ceja

• Most importantly, the Cejas respond to comments personally and regularly.  Muy bueno!!

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Follow Up: First Finger Lakes Wine Tweetup

David Breeden, Me, Amy Cheatle, Morgan and Evan Dawson and Tom Mansell

Our first Finger Lakes Wine Tweetup was a success. We had a small, hard-core group of Finger Lakes wine devotees in attendance, the day was beautiful and we were shown a great time by Sheldrake Point Vineyards‘ winemaker David Breeden, wine club manager Antoinette Di Ciaccio and staff.

The Past, Present and Future Riesling vertical tasting was set in a bright but intimate room with limited seating. David walked us through the tasting and answered some tough questions. He was interviewed by one of our attendees and my fellow blog contributor at LENNDEVOURS, Evan Dawson and even after that, wholeheartedly took us to taste several barrel and tank samples from Sheldrake’s 2008 vintage.

With a new appreciation for the ageability and finesse of “older” Riesling vintages, I grabbed up the 2001, 2005 and 2008 and have resisted cracking into them. (The ’08 will not be available for sale for around another year, but was for sale to attendees of the tasting.) I was excited by what I learned that afternoon in a setting with other enthusiasts: I detected the petrol on the nose of the ’01! I picked up beautiful honey notes in the nose and palate of several vintages! I really should hold onto bottles and cellar them more often than I do, etc.

Great day, fun company, new insights…we’ll be doing this again soon. 🙂