IT'S NOT YOUR PARENTS' TASTING ROOM ANYMORE.
It’s a rare call we receive these days from a prospective Wine Country visitor asking us about how many wineries they can “hit in three hours”.
There are still drunken limousine parties, though most wineries now will do everything they can to pass on that business.
Wine Country has changed and largely because of new attitudes about marketing and the new Wine Country traveler.
“They want the experience,” said Sherri Vella Hewitt, Director of Hospitality for BR Cohn Winery, Glen Ellen. The winery has added a number of new programs designed to engage the wine consumer and wine traveler.
“We’ve found that our customers want so much more when they walk through the door to the tasting room,” said Hewitt. “Not only do they want their dollar to go a lot further, they are looking for a variety of different experiences,” she said. “Just in the last few months we began to serve hors d’oeuvres with the release of new wines, all complimentary,” she said. “We added a vineyard photo walk for amateur photographers, and one of our most popular new programs to date is the artisan cheese pairings at select times on weekends,” she said.
Jim Sullivan, the director of public relations and marketing for Castello di Amorosa in Calistoga sees a more adventurous wine traveler today.
“We see many people who come into the Napa Valley and don’t have an agenda,” he said. “They are open to new ideas and new places and are more spontaneous,” he said.
Sullivan works at The Castle, one of the Valley’s newest and most unique attractions; a multi-million dollar re-creation of a medieval castle.
“We’ve added a substantial food & wine pairing in the royal apartment and some time in the next few weeks we should be adding an educational vineyard tour by horse drawn carriage,” he said.
Pamela Personette, the Valley’s top hospitality consultant at Illumination Hospitality echoes the call for The Experience.
“Wineries have realized that they just can’t sit still when a customer walks through the door anymore,” said Personette. “Visitors want to connect with real people and people in the know,” she said. “They are looking to meet the winery owners, or the winemakers,” she said. “So many wineries now are focused much more on wine education, including better training for those behind the tasting room counter,” she said.
Programs are becoming more elaborate.
“You may find a winery offering a pasta cooking class and how to pair that recipe with their wines. Food and wine pairings are being developed by so many wineries today and special or themed parties and dinners are also in vogue,” she said. “The themes have a way of building suspense for the winery’s clientele. Everyone looks forward to the theme for the next year,” said Personette.
Personette points out that at least three prominent wineries have started wine blending seminars recently where guests are shown in greater detail the art of blending wine. They make their own wine blends, the concoction is bottled, and they take it home with them to enjoy another day.
Sandra Rogers has a proven track record of success marketing wineries and wines over many years and is now handling one of the Napa Valley’s newest tasting experiences through the ultra-boutique winery, Hagen Heights.
“There is no question that there is a greater emphasis by some touring companies to find the off-the-beaten path venues for their clients,” said Rogers. “So many more boutique wine producers are coming on line for tastings and tours,” she said. “In years past, these wineries were not available to the wine traveler,” she said.
“The expansion of the tasting room collective has become a hot trend for re-development areas such as downtown Napa,” she said. “The collectives offer small wineries that cannot afford to have their own tasting room a chance to be in front of the customer. And wineries with funds to expand are looking to open tasting rooms in destination towns like Healdsburg, Napa, Yountville, Calistoga and Sonoma,” she said. “Historical walking tours and cooking schools are expanding their business as well,” she said.
We’ve come a long way from those days when so many of us would view the landscape of the Napa Valley or Sonoma County and make a mad dash for as many wines and wineries as we could in an afternoon.
Now, the wine traveler is content with a bottle of wine, artisan cheese, an engaging conversation, and the time to savor the relaxing moment.
Lin Durling
Artisan Wine Tours
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