The history of South African wine, wine without the hangover, and sherry. [level-members] A brief, interesting look at how planting and the wine industry have changed over the years in South Africa. (Good thing it’s brief, particularly the early years which stretch back some 350 years …) Read the full article here. Since we mentioned […]
Archive for May, 2016
Wine Industry News – 5/16/
May 16th, 2016Food & Wine Pairing: Manzanilla and Tap
May 13th, 2016For a change, “and now for something completely different” doesn’t mean an off-the-wall junk-food and wine pairing. Instead, it’s completely different in a completely different way. [level-members] It’s different because today we’re pairing Manzanilla with tapas. I’m not sure we’ve ever even mentioned Manzanilla in a GSM post before. Too bad, because it’s delicious stuff. […]
I Can Guess What Wine You Dri
May 12th, 2016OK, I really can’t. And neither can this funny little online calculator, but that doesn’t make it any less fun to try! [level-members] This is right up there with the “what country should you retire to” and similar quizzes that are typically all over social media. Meaning, it’s fun, it’s a waste of time, and […]
Wine Shop Marketing: Encouraging Trav
May 11th, 2016Travel and wine go together like peanut butter and jelly. At least, if you like wine … [level-members] And since travel and wine are such natural partners, discussing travel, particularly travel to wine-friendly locations, can be a great content marketing tactic. (Remember, content marketing isn’t about pushing your product; it’s about informing and entertaining your […]
Watch Your (Regulatory) St
May 10th, 2016Did you know that it is illegal to ride your bike while holding a glass of wine in a national park? I’m a pretty avid cyclist – and frequent consumer of wine – so how this nugget escaped me is a mystery. [level-members] Mysterious as it may be, it’s not a regulation that wine shop owners […]
Wine Industry News – 5/9/
May 9th, 2016Forgotten bottles, bootlegged bottles, frost strikes France, and upstart New Jersey vineyards. [level-members] Forgotten Wines Bring Windfall I found $100 in a blazer pocket a few years ago. Felt like a great gift. Not quite on par with finding a million-dollar wine collection you’ve forgotten about. (Though given the economic clout you’re likely to have in […]
Food & Wine Pairing: Turkish Fo
May 6th, 2016And now for something completely different. Not as different as the truly oddball pairings we seem to have been obsessed with recently, but different nonetheless. [level-members] Turkish food isn’t often thought of as food-friendly in the way that the more classic cuisines of Italy and France are, at least in part because Turkey doesn’t have […]
Hitting the High End, From Napa to Burgun
May 5th, 2016We’re going high end this week, with interesting things to read about high-end California Cabernet and Burgundy, where everything is high-end. [level-members] The cult of Cabernet: The paradox of Napa’s most expensive wines First, from the San Francisco Chronicle, we have The cult of Cabernet: The paradox of Napa’s most expensive wines. (Registration may be required to […]
Doing Wine Shop Marketing Different
May 4th, 2016Though the Huffington Post can frequently be sensationalistic, with “click bait” headlines, we found an article from last year that lays out some basic, foundational marketing truths for all retail businesses. [level-members] One interesting benchmark is the idea that you should be spending 9% to 12% of your annual revenue on marketing. That might seem […]
Wine Shop Management: Hats vs. Hiri
May 3rd, 2016When you start a business, you are forced to wear a lot of hats. It can be tempting to try to wear every hat you think of, but your business will be better off – and you’ll be happier – if you strike a balance between wearing all hats and hiring experts. [level-members] Your goal should […]