Winemaking in the Digital Age

Do you Twitter? Facebook? Blog? It seems like all anyone’s talking about these days is social media. The alcohol beverage industry is also trying to figure out what it’s all about. Wineries know they have to do something, but many of them don’t understand the independent, personal, communal, and often contrarian spirit of the digital age.

As a blogger myself, I continue to watch this whole thing unfold. Most wineries have had Web sites for years, of course – mainly for direct sales – but a few have started blogging, and they report that it’s having a positive impact on sales. (With the Great Recession having a negative impact, it’s hard to know just what’s going on.) I’ve talked to some winery proprietors who are a little older, and they scratch their heads in bewilderment and say they don’t even own a computer!

Then there’s the dramatic development over at Murphy-Goode Winery, where their “A Really Goode Job” campaign has attracted international media attention, both for the nature of the job (someone to blog and Tweet about the winery) and for the salary: $10,000 a month for six months.

That may have been the point, but it’s certainly true that Dave Ready and the folks at Jackson Family Farms (which owns Murphy-Goode; that's Jess Jackson, of Kendall-Jackson) have their fingers on the wine consumer’s pulse. They understand they have to get with the digital program. Too many other wine companies don’t.

I always advise vintners to start a blog, get a Facebook page, and maybe even Twitter. Blogging is easy and cheap, with programs like WordPress helping to jump-start things. These vintners usually reply that they don’t have the time, and wouldn’t know what to say. Well, it doesn’t take more than 10 or 15 minutes to write a quickie post. As for what to say, I recommend that vintners just describe what they do. “Woke up this morning, dragged a comb across my hair, and then got a phone call that the birds had eaten all my grapes.” People love insider stuff like that – “A Day in the Life of a Winemaker” – and I believe they’d go to a winemaker’s blog to read it.

If you’re a vintner thinking of blogging, here are some good examples from wineries that are already doing it. Twisted Oak’s El Bloggo Torcido is one of the most sophisticated when it comes to linking together various parts of the social media landscape. Tablas Creek’s blog often reads like you’re right there in the vineyard. Far Niente’s blog seems like it’s trying to find its voice, which can take a while. But when you do find your blogging voice, you’re able to talk to a much wider and more diverse audience than you ever thought you would.

E-mail: Steve@yummyletter.com

Yummy Recommendations of the Week

Parducci 2006 Petite Sirah, $11. This is a classic Petite Sirah, and also the perfect red wine for a summer barbecue. Dry and smooth, it has complex berry and spice flavors. Easy to find, with 13,000 cases produced. From Mendocino Wine Co.

The Harvard Common Press has a new book out, “Dark Spirits: 200 Classy Concoctions Starring Bourbon, Brandy, Scotch, Whiskey Rum and More” ($22.95, hardcover)

Here’s a refreshing brandy-based cocktail for the summer months from the book:

The Ognan

Ingredients:
Highball glass
Ice cubes
2-1/2 oz. mango juice
1-1/2 oz. brandy
1/2 oz. Aperol (an Italian aperitif; you can substitute Campari)
Chilled club soda
Lemon slice for garnish

Method:
Fill a highball glass with ice cubes. Add the mango juice, brandy and Aperol/Campari. Stir well.

Fill the glass almost to the top with club soda. Stir again, well. Squeeze the lemon slice over the glass and drop it in.

Sip-Worthy Wine Events

JC Cellars Summer Beach Party
July 19, 1 to 5 p.m.
JC Cellars, 55 Fourth St., Oakland, 510-465-5900
Tickets $20 online; $25 at the door

Live music, activities for the kids, sausages and cheeses at this urban winery in my very own hometown.

Napa Valley Grapegrowers Harvest Stomp
August 29, 6 to 10 p.m.
Gamble Ranch’s State Farm, 1299 State Farm, Oakville
Tickets $100

There will be dancing under the stars at this evening event that brings top local vintners together with chefs.

Check out my blog at www.steveheimoff.com for all the latest insider stuff.