So what does “waiting for the other shoe to drop” really mean? Here’s a little backstory to the ominous phrase. In the tenements of New York City in the late 19th and early 20th century, apartments were built with bedrooms stacking another. It was common to hear your upstairs neighbor take off a shoe, drop it, and then repeat the action. Hence, “waiting for the other shoe to drop,” literally means waiting for something to happen that you feel is inevitable. Much like all of 2020, California wineries are now “waiting for the other shoe to drop” and will be keeping a close eye on neighboring Oregon’s Willamette Valley during the next month.
Last week, Oregon’s Governor Kate Brown announced that a two-week statewide lockdown will begin November 18th, shuttering all restaurants, bars and tasting rooms for on-site consumption, both indoor and outdoor, to help slow the spread of Covid-19. Many wine industry experts fear the same will happen in California in the coming months. For now, wineries statewide are struggling to keep the outdoor patio areas open for tasting and bottle sales during the cooler fall temperatures. It is no surprise that the big winners are the party rental companies who supply the canvas tents, tables, chairs and portable propane heaters. Several wineries in Russian River Valley are being proactive and constructing permanent covered outdoor seating areas, hoping to attract visitors in the off-months, weather permitting.
In the meantime, as we all wait for the return to “normalcy”, check out the myriad of virtual wine tastings and events offered online. High-end wineries offer personalized virtual group tastings which bring family and friends together in a fun, festive way. So raise your glass high and support your favorite local wineries and order holiday wines online! Cheers ~
What was on everyone’s mind, but rarely spoken, was the topic of possible smoke taint in the vineyards. Harvest was already mid-way in RRV with fruit still on the vines in many vineyards
While the Russian River plays an important role in moderating temperatures for grape growing in the valley, it is also an important ecological habitat for warm and cold water fish migration and spawning and is well known to locals for its sandy beaches.
Panelist Connor Best spearheads the International Marketing efforts on behalf of Napa Valley Vintners for its 550-winery members and winegrowers. He notes that there has been a huge transition to e-commerce sales, even with top-end producers. Best also encourages wineries to utilize their front house workers for phone sales, shipping, bottling and other vineyard work to keep staff employed during the shutdown. “Surprisingly, wine club memberships in Napa remain strong with fewer cancellations than predicted,” remarked Best. Despite the 2014 earthquake and the recent Sonoma-Napa wildfires, Napa remains resilient. NPV has a concentric plan in place to start rebuilding the wine tasting room experiences with outreach to local San Francisco Bay area visitors first and will then expand marketing efforts outward as California relaxes the stay-in-shelter orders.
Sonoma County Winegrowers’ President Karissa Kruse, who actively supports the hospitality industry during these difficult times, expressed a similar sentiment. Other than an earlier than usual bud break, the growing season seems to be on track. “Agriculture continues to give and doesn’t understand the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Kruse. She feels positive, however, that Sonoma County is well poised to welcome Bay area day-trippers into wine country soon and that the wine industry will eventually recover. In the meantime, local eateries are pairing take out food with Sonoma wines by the glass and bottle, in the “Keep Restaurants Alive” campaign, which has been well received.
Another panel contributor, Joel Peterson, Executive Director of the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance is closely aligned with over 200 wineries in Central California. Again, the big shift was to quickly pivot and go to digital marketing. Many distilleries in Paso immediately ramped up to produce hand sanitizer for the first responders, while wineries delivered wine care packages to those on the front lines. Peterson is working closely with the county on the anticipated roll out plan to re-open the region’s wineries. He also supports the “Home With Paso Wine” campaign and invites wine lovers to connect with local winemakers via Zoom for weekly virtual tastings, vineyard updates and interviews.
Elsewhere in the state, Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country’s Brand Marketing Partner, Devin Parr, expressed great concern over the lack of distribution and wholesale market for the 40+ wineries. Largely founded by DTC sales, Temecula’s target market caters to the 23 million visitors within a one to two hour drive from wine country. Parr believes that the valley’s “Sip From Home” packages are key to garnering wine sales at this time and has reported moderate success feedback. Many wineries are being more innovative and have reached out to wine club members via various social media platforms to offer free local wine delivery or curbside pickup. And, a big shout out goes out to Wilson Creek Winery for donating 50,000 tasting tickets to Southern California wine lovers.
Washington State Wine Marketing Director David Flaherty had some interesting insights, as Seattle was six weeks ahead of the COVID-19 curve. Unfortunately, one of the largest revenue producing wine events, Taste Seattle, had to be cancelled with short notice. However, on the positive side, Flaherty received huge support from regional wineries with his quick call to action. “We all need each other. The spirit of collaborative union creates a sense of urgency to shake off stodginess of the industry and break down walls,” said Flaherty. A noteworthy digital campaign recently launched by Washington State Wine is SIP GLOCAL, a global movement that rallies around a local bottle of wine, with the hope of closing the social distance between communities near and far.
