Wine Marketing

Governor Hochul Announces Nominations Open for New York State Craft Beverage Retailer Awards

Program To Recognize Businesses that Promote State’s Craft Beverage Industry Nominations Accepted Through Friday, November 20 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the launch of nominations for the New York State Craft Beverage Retailer Awards, designed to recognize merchants who help customers discover and enjoy craft beverages made in New York with locally grown ingredients. Awardees will receive a “New York State Retailer Award” to display at their businesses, online and

Come Over October Is Back: Here’s How to Take Part

Harvest is underway across New York, and October brings a ready-made reason to invite customers back to the table. Come Over October (COO), the national campaign encouraging people to gather with friends and family over a bottle of wine, returns this month. New research shows it gives wineries a practical way to drive visits, club engagement, and sales. The New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF) is supporting COO again

New York’s Wine and Grape Industry Celebrated as Grape Day Returns to The Great New York State Fair

New York Wine and Grape Foundation to Host Seminar Spotlighting 2026 New York Wine Classic Award Winners On Thursday, August 27, the Great New York State Fair will celebrate the return of Grape Day with new events and high-quality grape products that will be sampled and sold on the Fairgrounds. Grape Day will include fun-filled activities to educate fairgoers about the State’s superfruit and to promote New York’s wine and

Taste NY Program at The Great New York State Fair Showcases Agriculture, Local Food and Beverages

New York State Tasting Yard, Featuring New York’s Craft Beverages, Offers Expanded Selection of In-Person, Informational Seminars About Agricultural Industry Horticulture Building Offers One-Stop-Shop for Taste NY Offerings The Taste NY program is gearing up for another exciting year showcasing the best of New York State agriculture with local food and beverages being featured in the Horticulture Building at The Great New York State Fair, offering locally made products to

The 26th Annual Finger Lakes International Wine & Spirits Competition Celebrates Another Year of Excellence

The Finger Lakes International Wine & Spirits Competition (FLIWC) is proud to announce another highly successful year, celebrating its 26th year of raising vital funds for Camp Good Days, a cherished nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting children, families, and adults impacted by cancer or sickle cell anemia. The FLIWC, an annual event renowned for showcasing the exceptional craftsmanship and diversity of wines and spirits globally, has cemented its reputation as

Weis Vineyards Introduces Its First Dealcoholized Wine: Ohne

Image courtesy of Weis Vineyards. Weis Vineyards is pleased to announce the release of Ohne, the winery’s first-ever dealcoholized wine. Crafted from Finger Lakes-grown Gewürztraminer and containing just 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV), Ohne offers wine lovers a flavorful, premium option for those seeking to reduce their alcohol consumption without sacrificing the experience of enjoying a glass of wine. As consumer demand for low- and no-alcohol beverages continues to grow,

Sasha Pardy Named One of NYSRA’s“10 Women to Watch” in Hospitality for 2026

Recognition Honors Emerging Female Leaders Shaping New York’s Hospitality Industry Sasha Pardy, Co-Owner and President of Adirondack Winery and Extreme Heights Cidery and owner of Adirondack Festivals, has been named one of the New York State Restaurant Association’s “10 Women to Watch” in Hospitality for 2026. The recognition celebrates women across New York State who are leading the hospitality industry forward through innovation, leadership, and impact. According to NYSRA, the

New York Wine & Grape Foundation Mini-Grant Program Delivers Measurable Impact Across New York’s Wine & Grape Industry

41 wineries, growers, wine trails, and regional organizations funded in 2025 program year The New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF) today announced the successful completion of its 2025-26 Mini-Grant Program, which awarded $21,000 in small grants to wineries, grape growers, wine trails, and regional organizations across New York State. The program supported a diverse range of marketing, education, and business development initiatives, from targeted digital advertising campaigns and professional

New York Wine & Grape Foundation Joins Come Over October Campaign

Download the Co-branded New York Wine & COO Assets The NYWGF is excited to support the international campaign, Come Over October (COO)! As a Friend of COO, we are encouraging New York wineries to join the promotional campaign this fall through the many opportunities to engage with COO and celebrate New York wines. What is Come Over October? COO is an international campaign created by wine journalist Karen MacNeil and industry PR

How You Can Boost Wine Sales With Well-Placed Words

A picture may be worth 1,000 words, but a picture of Riesling with evocative copy that explains its provenance, the people who crafted it and the flavor it delivers in the glass is money in the bank for winemakers. The bad news is, that copy needs to be created by the winery and disseminated on social media and its website. The good news is, wineries can farm that work out—and

Uncorking Collaboration: Introducing the New York Wine & Retailer Roundtable Series

The New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF) is excited to announce the launch of the Uncorking Collaboration: The New York Wine & Retailer Roundtable Series, a dynamic three-part webinar series designed to strengthen partnerships between New York wineries, retailers, and distributors. This new initiative aims to foster collaboration and explore innovative strategies to elevate the presence of New York wines in retail settings. Kicking off on Wednesday, January 29,

Cheers to Growth: Finger Lakes Wine Alliance and New York Wine & Grape Foundation Partner with La Piana Consulting on Organizational Development Project

PENN YAN NY, October 2nd, 2024– The Board of Directors of the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance (FLWA) and the New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF) are pleased to announce that La Piana Consulting, one of the most experienced nonprofit consulting firms in the country, will be guiding our leadership teams through an Organizational Analysis and Partnership Development process to be completed in Spring 2025. NYWGF and FLWA have long

Elevate Your Brand with the New NYWGF Printing Storefront

The New York wine industry is making waves on the world stage, and it’s all thanks to the hard work and dedication of industry professionals like you. From what you grow in the vineyards, craft in your cellars, and sell in your stores, your efforts are key to the rising prominence of New York wines. However, there’s always more we can do to tell the New York wine story more

New York Wine & Grape Foundation Partners with Teuwen Communications to Elevate the Brand of New York Wines

PENN YAN NY, May 13th, 2023 – The New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF) is pleased to announce a new partnership with Teuwen Communications, an Evins Communications Company. Teuwen, an award-winning wine and spirits public relations and marketing group based in New York City, will be responsible for leading NYWGF’s revitalized integrated communications and marketing efforts. Efforts will include activities directed at consumers, trade, and media in select U.S. markets with the

NYWGF Issues RFP for a Domestic Marketing Consultant

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Valerie Venezia-RossPhone: 1 (518) 229-3765Email: valerieross@nywgf.org December 6th, 2023 – Penn Yan, NY — The New York Wine & Grape Foundation is now seeking proposals for a consultant to manage marketing efforts directed at consumers, trade, and media in select U.S. markets with the goal of raising brand awareness and sales of New York Wines. The New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF) was created by the State

How Wine Clubs Help Producers Boost Their Bottom Line and Build Community

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales are increasingly becoming important for small and medium-sized wineries; in many cases, wine clubs are foundational to sustained DTC success. The classic distribution model, amid widespread consolidation, is no longer viable for most wineries. Distributors have been merging and consolidating for decades now. Currently, two distributors account for more than half of all wine sales in the U.S. Meanwhile, the number of wineries across the country are

Shrink Sleeve Labels Offer Customization and Creative Solutions

When it comes to product appeal, packaging is paramount. To capture a customer’s attention, you need packaging that showcases your brand in the best possible light and entices a customer to move your product from the shelf to the shopping cart. Waterloo Container’s sleeving process uses color, 360 design, feel and coverage to turn an ordinary bottle into something extraordinary — a captivating and cost-effective work of art that can

Wine Folly to Launch New York Region Guide with Support from the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, Long Island Wine Council, and Discover Long Island

The New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF), Long Island Wine Council, and Discover Long Island are pleased to announce a partnership designed to support the launch of a Wine Folly New York State Region Guide this Fall. A highly regarded global resource on the topic of wine, Wine Folly welcomes over 20 million users to their website each year. “Wine Folly is an educational, fun, and user-friendly resource used

6 Must-Have POS Features For Your Winery

If you’re in the business of running a winery, you require a robust point of sale (POS) system to support your day-to-day tasting room operations. There are a lot of options out there available, so it’s key to hone in on the essentials. Here’s a list of 6 features to look for when considering a POS system for your winery: 1. Easy To Use Are you wasting time with an

Waterloo Container is more than just bottles; It is time to think about the box!

Your outer packaging says something about your wine before your customers taste the wine! Look around your winery and see what your customers see. Are there plain cases of wine sitting in plain sight of your visitors? The corrugated boxes your wine bottles are packaged in should be considered almost as important as the primary bottle you fill. Boxes have prime marketing space and can be artfully paired with your

Videos Increase Sales

The pandemic catapulted e-commerce sales and marketing. And wine, beer and spirit sales are no exception. The January 2022 study published by Rabobank suggests that online sales in this category doubled from pre-pandemic levels. Online sales will be the biggest driver of growth in the industry for years to come. US direct to consumer wine sales now represent 23% of the $7.2 billion industry. Grocery stores, mass merchants, alcoholic beverages

NYWGF Releases Revised Global Messaging RFP

The New York Wine & Grape Foundation would like to thank those who showed interest in this important project! In response to the myriad of questions and proposals that were submitted during the initial request for proposals, we are re-issuing the Global Messaging RFP to provide further clarity on deliverables, examples of expected assets and their use, and a revised budget and timeline to align with NYWGF’s and the successful

‘Going Electric’: Is the Wine Industry’s eCommerce Revolution Finally Here?

With eCommerce, the wine & spirit industry has been trying to go Electric for at least a quarter century. But only until the pandemic has eCommerce really gained traction in the US, where DtC sales skyrocketed for obvious reasons – according to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, online alcohol consumer sales in the US increased a mind-boggling 80% in 2019-2020.

Field Notes