I didn't actually set out to work in marketing. I started my career in winemaking, spending vintages in New Zealand, Australia, California, Burgundy and Italy, and there were plenty of early mornings, long days, red wine-stained hands and a lot of learning along the way. I loved it.
But over time, I found myself becoming just as interested in the people drinking the wines as the process of making them.
How do wineries tell their stories? How do they build relationships with customers? And how do you turn someone who loved a tasting at the cellar door into someone who continues buying your wines for years to come? Eventually, that curiosity led me into digital marketing.
These days, I run my own business helping wineries across Australia and New Zealand with websites, email marketing, Wine Clubs and all things digital.
And while my day-to-day work looks pretty different from vintage, I still draw on that winemaking experience all the time.
Understanding the wine industry is half the battle
Wine is a pretty unique industry. There's viticulture, winemaking, vintage variation, regional differences, technical terminology and a whole lot of stories behind every bottle. And that's before you get into the business of actually selling it.
Having worked in wineries myself, I understand what goes into making the wines, and I think that makes a real difference when it comes to communicating their stories.
I can read a technical sheet, understand what's happening in the vineyard and translate that information into something engaging for customers. Not everyone wants to know about malolactic fermentation or the percentage of new French oak in their Chardonnay, but some people do! The trick is knowing how to communicate the interesting details without overwhelming the reader.
Wine marketing isn't quite like other marketing
Selling wine online comes with its own set of challenges.
There are liquor licensing requirements, shipping restrictions, seasonal releases, vintage changes, Wine Clubs and customers who might buy a dozen bottles twice a year rather than making small purchases every week.
And unlike many other products, wine is often tied to an experience. A cellar door visit, a holiday, a special occasion or a conversation with the person who made it.
Good wine marketing needs to capture some of that connection, and it also needs to make the practical side of buying wine as easy as possible. That's where having someone who understands both the wine industry and digital marketing can be particularly useful.
Your website, emails and Wine Club should work together
One thing I see quite often is wineries treating different parts of their marketing as completely separate things.
The website is managed by one person, the email newsletters by another, and the Wine Club sits somewhere in the middle — but they're all connected.
Someone might discover your winery through Google, browse your website, sign up to your mailing list, visit your cellar door and eventually join your Wine Club — ideally, every part of that experience should feel consistent. And, behind the scenes, your systems should be sharing the right information.
That's why I enjoy working across the whole customer journey, rather than focusing on just one small piece.
You don't always need a full-time marketing person
Smaller wineries often don't have the budget or workload to justify a full-time marketing employee, and even if they do, there's usually a long list of things that need doing: website updates, email campaigns, new release communications, social media, Wine Club management, SEO, automations... the list goes on.
The way I work is pretty flexible. Essentially, I become an extension of your team, jumping in wherever you need an extra hand.
That might mean building a new Shopify website, setting up your Klaviyo automations or helping with ongoing email marketing each month. Or it might simply be a one-off project that's been sitting on the to-do list for far too long.
I like getting to know the people behind the wines
One of my favourite things about working with wineries is how different they all are.
Some have been family-owned for generations. Others are brand-new projects built by people taking a leap into something completely different. Some make tiny quantities of wine. Others have established cellar doors, restaurants and large Wine Clubs. And they all have their own personalities.
I don't think every winery should sound the same, and I certainly don't think every winery needs the same marketing strategy.
The best part of my job is getting to know the people, understanding what they're trying to achieve and finding ways to help.
A little wine knowledge goes a long way
At the end of the day, good marketing is still good marketing. You need to understand your audience, communicate clearly and make it easy for people to take the next step.
But when it comes to wineries, I think having a genuine understanding of the industry adds something extra. It means fewer explanations, more relevant ideas and someone who understands why the story behind the wine matters just as much as the bottle itself.
And for me, it's a pretty lovely way to stay connected to an industry I've spent so much of my life working in.
Looking for a little marketing support?
I'm a wine marketing consultant working with wineries across Australia and New Zealand. From Shopify websites and email marketing to Wine Clubs, SEO and digital strategy, I offer flexible support depending on what you need.
If you think I might be able to help, I'd love to hear from you.
