REthink Wine Blog

It’s that time of year again when students are looking for summer work and we could all use the extra help. But really, how much effort is it to manage a summer intern? It shouldn’t be too challenging if you structure it right and plan it now. Considering that I have worked as an intern and have managed many interns, I thought I would share some of my observations to help prepare for the summer. I’d love any other suggestions that you may have.

First off, what does a potential intern want?

• Experience that they can put on their resume
• The opportunity to learn new skills
• The satisfaction of having contributed to something meaningful
• Some form of compensation whether a stipend, in kind goods (rent/meals/wine), or an hourly rate. Not everyone can afford an unpaid summer and there are enough companies willing to pay, that you may miss out on a superstar if you can’t provide some type of incentive.

With this in mind, think through what you need help with and then create a “program” for your intern(s). Below are a few tips and questions to consider:

• Who will manage the intern? I’d recommend one point of contact so the intern isn’t the “catch all” for everyone. With that said, you could structure a rotation program where a different department/function manages the intern for a 2 week period. In our situation, we may have our interns rotate from Client Services to Client Development to Channel Development and then Product Management.
• Interns definitely need structure. Discrete projects are a great way to keep them interested and challenged. When I was a college intern, all too often I was asked to do filing. Woohoo! The key is creating projects that balance what needs to get done (filing or data entry) and projects that are more compelling (research on potential trade prospects or establishing an online presence for you within wine 2.0 communities). Also, ask your interns to craft a project of interest to them and have them continuously work on that and then have them write up the results at the end of the summer.
• Definitely create an evaluation mechanism to assess your interns and have them assess your internship “program.” Your written evaluation of the intern will provide a great recommendation for future jobs or internships. Their assessment of your program will help you better structure future programs if you decide to continue.

In my mind, interns are a fabulous way to offset resource constraints because they can make strong contributions and their rates are discounted. More importantly though, hosting an intern is a great way to excite someone about our industry and teach them tangible skills that will accelerate their learning. Who knows, your former intern could one day become your future employee or partner or boss! Stranger things have happened.

P.S. I almost forgot, if there are any readers out there interested in an internship @ Inertia, feel free to email me directly.

Cheers,

Inertia – Powering the Wine Revolution
Andrea Johnston
VP Business Development

With the warmer weather approaching, the music festivals and summer concert series are just around the corner and the wineries in Sonoma and Napa are getting ready for the season.

Last year, I had the opportunity to sample some of the local wines along with tasteful music. It was a wonderful experience and the genre of music spanned the spectrum from classical to blues. I was pleased to find out that some of the festivals donated their proceeds to a non-profit organization that benefited charitable causes or assisted local communities. Other ongoing concerts were held weekly at the winery to help sponsor and showcase the local talent.

If you’re a winery with upcoming events, take the time to promote them not only on your website, but list them with the local entertainment guide as well. It’s a great way to reach out to prospective consumers looking for music based events. The potential to grow your customer database or club memberships from a concert series is an opportunity to develop your business and sell more wine.

Whether it is Mozart with Merlot, Chris Isaak with Cabernet, Diana Krall with a Sangiovese or BB King with a Pinot, listed below are a few upcoming events for this year that are worth checking out:

Sonoma Valley Jazz Festival
http://www.sonomajazz.org/

Music In The Vineyards
http://www.napavalleymusic.com/music/index.htm

Festival del Sole
http://www.imgartists.com/?page=festivals/napa.html

Rodney Strong Vineyards - Jazz in the Vineyard
http://www.rodneystrong.com/rodneystrong/page/concerts.jsp

Bookwalter Winery – Summer Music Café http://www.bookwalterwines.com/bookwalter/news/events.jsp

Robert Mondavi Summer Music Festival
http://www.robertmondaviwinery.com/flash/index.cfm?month=5&day=2&year=1968&x=38&y=19

Calistoga Downtown Jazz & Blues
http://www.calistogajazz.com/index_files/Page398.htm

Inertia – Powering the Wine Revolution
Kiz Dodds
Training Manager

Last week I got this call from a younger relative expressing all their plans for the summer. It quickly brought back that feeling we have all experienced. You remember how you felt when you walked out the door after taking that last test of the year. That first breathe of fresh air after 9 long months of schedules, tests, long days and sometimes long nights. I then quickly realized that I will not have that feeling again for at least another 30 years! Now I’m not here to be a Debbie downer but the true take away is the understanding of what TIME means to us. TIME is the currency that can’t be earned, it can’t be given back, it’s all in how you use the TIME that you have been given. So instead of saying that I will give you back the time used to read this blog, I will hopefully provide you a couple quick tips to help you Re-prioritize your time so that you will have a better return in the time you do spend at your job. (These tips are meant specifically for wineries)

Customer Appreciation
During slow times in the tasting room, call your top customers and thank them for their loyalty to your brand

Communication
Instead of being over-whelmed with sending a mailer, send a email to a specific audience providing them a specific incentive to purchase

Support your key supporters
Keep track of your top customers and keep them on the list to call when certain “limited” wines come up. Instead of taking the time to move it through your tasting room, simply make a couple calls to your key customers. This will not only sell through the wine but also bring those customers closer to your inner circle.

Don’t recreate the wheel
Instead of racking your brain to come up with new ideas in your office, take a day to visit other wineries. Enjoy the day, keep your eyes open and you will not only be refreshed but I guarantee you will walk away with ideas to build upon.

Support your staff
Don’t get so caught up in the busyness that you forget to make the time enjoyable for your staff. This will make everyone enjoy the time they are working. Once you get them to enjoy their time, their time will be more productive.

Listen
Take time to listen to your customers and staff before trying to change your customer experience, tasting room tours, wine club, or events. This will not only increase the efficiency of the transition but will keep you from having to go back to the drawing boards.

Although most of us will not have our summers back for a while, we should make the most of the time we do have so that we can more efficiently do our jobs. Always remember that the goal is to work so that we can live, not live so that we can work.
Enjoy the day!

Inertia – Powering the Wine Revolution
Michael Coffey

I’m sure most of you are familiar with the fairy tale The Princess and the Pea by the famous Dutch author, Hans Christian Anderson.  The beautiful and saintly Princess had to so sensitive that she could feel a pea disturbing her sleep, while the pea was buried beneath several mattresses.

That is how my day went today.  I generally felt annoyed most of the day, though there was nothing more significant than a pea under the mattress causing my discomfort.  As I sat at my desk trying to be productive, and instead feeling distracted, I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what was in my craw.  True, my favorite baseball team is not doing well, I had my worst round of golf in a long time yesterday, I’m going to Missouri to visit the in-laws this weekend, my son won’t answer my phone calls, the dog doesn’t feel well, gas prices are too high, the economy is in recession, and I can’t get excited by any of the Presidential candidates.  But really, is any of that reason to complain?  Probably not.

I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who has a “pea under the mattress day”.  So how do you deal with it?  Me, I write a blog, open a bottle of Tamber Bey Estate Cab, and kick back with my wife and puppy.  I find that my level of irritation is inversely related to the amount of wine I drink.

Enjoy your day,

Mitch 

Inertia – Powering the Wine Revolution
mitch.schwartz

Since our release of REthink Compliance as a free direct shipping compliance tool to all U.S. wineries in April, a question I am frequently asked is “how do you keep up with all of the changes in state shipping laws?”  Certainly maintaining the tool’s rule accuracy is of critical importance to the value it provides the winery user. 

The Changing Regulatory Landscape

It’s true that the regulatory landscape has changed dramatically in the last few years and continues to do so still.  Not just as a result of state law, but also alcoholic beverage agency regulation, state and federal judicial decisions, and even interpretations by state attorney generals.  Fortunately, most changes don’t occur overnight.  Generally, ample time to prepare for the change is given by setting an effective date that frequently is at least six months from the date the legislation was signed into law.  The recent changes in Wisconsin, effective October 1, 2008, are a perfect example of this.  Even changes to tax return and shipment reports are often announced some time in advance. 

REthink Compliance Council

But the question remains, how do you keep up with the changes?  There are many resources…from legislative alerts, agency websites, trade associations and the blogosphere.  I sign up for any and every legislative bill tracking service, association newsletter and industry compliance website available.  I attend seminars and symposiums.  I keep my ear to the ground and talk to other industry professionals.  But it’s not just me.  The REthink Compliance Council is a group of industry professionals, trade association members and lawyers with expertise in direct shipping law who oversee all of the legal content on which REThink Compliance is based.  The Council reviews changes to the law, court decisions and rule interpretations.  The primary goal is to ensure that the rules and law available to users is as current, accurate and complete as possible.

ILLINOIS REMINDER:  Speaking of changes to the law, keep in mind that Illinois drops reciprocity and will require a license to ship into the state beginning June 1, 2008 so it is a good idea to be prepared.  The Winery Shipper’s License application is now available at the ILCC website, http://www.state.il.us/lcc/WineShipApp.asp.  The license permits wineries producing less than 250,000 gallons annually to ship up to 12 cases per year to consumers and permits wineries producing less than 25,000 gallons annually to self-distribute up to 5,000 gallons per year to retailers.  The cost is $150.  You’ll need to file the usual excise and sales tax returns but Illinois is the 6th largest wine consumption state in the U.S. (Wine Handbook 2005, Adams Beverage Group) so it is a high value market to both consumers and trade.  Inertia’s Direct-to-Trade program is primed to assist wineries looking to take advantage of this new self-distribution opportunity so sign up now to be ready to roll on June 1st.

Inertia – Powering the Wine Revolution
Matthew Mann

Hey - it’s Friday and it’s time for a little business speculation. So how would high gas prices and Federal Tax rebates affect online wine sales? Can’t read the tea leaves yet, but there’s an interesting study from Harris Interactive for iCongo that provides some clues.

According to the study: “One third (33 percent) of online U.S. adults indicated they are more likely to shop online rather than in-person at a store due to the high price of gasoline.”

Sounds like good news for online wine sales to me. If sales are steady, this would translate to a shift of channels, from off-line to on-line retail. However, given wine’s relatively high shipping costs, this perceived effect may be moot. The study provides another highlight that suggests a way for wineries to take advantage of the potential shift: “57 percent of online adults said free shipping is a reason they are more likely to shop online as opposed to in a physical store”. This would confirm that running free shipping discount promos (or rather $0.01 shipping to be safe) make for a smart email campaign. Free shipping on half case order are always very effective promos in my experience.

Another heartening tidbit of this study is that “61 percent cited the ability to shop at any time as a reason they are more likely to shop online instead of in a store.” That’s really no surprise, but it confirms the steady trend of shifting consumer purchasing behaviors. The shift to online purchasing continues and for wineries to maintain strong direct sales, they must apply laser-like focus on their online sales&marketing skills. Your website really is the extension of your tasting room and can bring in more sales if leveraged effectively.

Oh, and the iCongo guys behind this study also say that rebate checks will have an effect on shopping attitudes. They found that roughly half of consumers plan on spending their upcoming Federal tax rebate on retail purchases. I personally think that buying a case of good age-worthy cabernet (or a stellar Kabinett) would be a good long term investment for those rebate dollars.

Inertia – Powering the Wine Revolution
Pascal Davis
Director Marketplace Development

Microsoft Excel 2007 has been confusing for some of us who have been using the Excel older version. Recently, we had an opportunity for Excel 2007 training and there are a few amazing things to share.

The Microsoft Office button located in the upper left hand corner of the program window replaces the file menu found in previous versions of Microsoft office (which we all know was copied from Apple).

The quick access toolbar provides easy access to the commands you use frequently. The Save, Undo, Redo/Repeat and Quick Print buttons appear on the Quick Access Toolbar by default, but you can add and remove commands to meet your needs. To add a command to the “Quick Access Toolbar,” click on the “Customize Quick Access Toolbar” button and select “Customize” from the menu. Select the command you want to add, click the Add button, and click Ok. To remove a command from this toolbar, right click on the command you want to remove, and select “Remove from Quick Access Toolbar” from the contextual menu.

Those using excel 2007 may send out some of their files in .XLSX format. This formatted file can only be viewed with 2007 Excel version, which can be frustrating sometimes. But we can save an .XLSX file into an XLS format and then forward the file. You can also you can set the file to be saved automatically in an older version by going through the Microsoft office button, selecting excel options and then selecting the format in which you would like to save.

For users who don’t want to download Excel 2007 version, they have .XLSX conversion which can convert the file in the format you would like. If you would like to download the new excel 2007 version you can download it from here:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA101672621033.aspx

Inertia – Powering the Wine Revolution
sindhura.sunkara
Technical Support

At our little company we like to say that when someone has strong skills or do something great that they have “strong kung foo” (yes, I know it is spelled wrong). Today is my blog day and I looked at the ominous screen wondering what should be my topic. Fortunately I was inspired by an email from George Vare (the Chairman of our Board and a great mentor to our entire team) and I thought today would be a nice day to put up a list of people in the wine industry that have “strong kung foo.” This is by no means a comprehensive list, but rather those who immediately came to mind. There are other great Kung Foo Masters out there. I also made an attempt to categorize these people to show where their kung foo is strongest. Please feel free to comment on people in the industry that you think have strong kung foo - I very much would like to see them added to this list.

Grandmaster Kung Foo (A category with only one member)
George Vare

The Legends of Kung Foo
Robert Mondavi
Michael Moone

Winery CEO Kung Foo
Mary Ann Tsai - Luna Vineyards
Erle Martin - Pine Ridge
Scott Weiss - Fosters
Tom Shelton - Joseph Phelps

Best wine sales Kung Foo
Gary Vaynerchuk - Winelibrary.com (and cult of personality Kung Foo)
John Tichenor - Brown Forman

Guys behind the scenes you may not know but they make all the magic but they do, Kung Foo
Chris Edwards - Wine Tasting Network
Tom Wark - Wark Communications
John Hinman - Hinman and Carmichael

Consumer Direct Kung Foo
Miryam Chae - Fosters
Lesley Kiefer Russell - St. Supery
Jennie Haug - Revana
Jason Williams - Lancaster
Samantha Lloyd - Niebaum Coppola
Jim O’Shea - Sterling Vineyards
Matt Wood - Icon Estates

Financial Kung Foo Wizards
Rob McMillan - Silicon Valley Bank
Bill Price - Texas Pacific Group
Prescott Ashe - Golden Gate Capital
Christian Whipple - Pacific Premier Vitners
Vic Motto - Global Wine Partners

Not sure how to categorize their crazy good kung foo, kung foo
Jeff Stai - Twisted Oak
Marc Engel - BRSgroup.com
John Collins - Fosters
Lesley Berglund - WISE, WITS, Aged Cabernet
Tammy Boatright - Wattle Creek

Wine techie Kung Foo
Philip James - Snooth.com
Jason Coleman- Winelog.net
Joel Vincent - Openwineconsortium.com
Michael Brill - Crushpad

People fighting the good fight kung foo
Paul Kronenberg - Family Wine Makers
Steve Gross - Wine Institute
Kenneth Star - SWRA

People that buy ink (digital or real) by the gallon and use it well Kung Foo
Cyril Penn - WBM
Eric Jorgensen - WBM
Alder Yarrow - Vinography
Tina Caputo - Wines and Vines
Howard Goldburg - NYT, et al
Mark Fisher - Dayton Daily News

The Peter Foo Awards (great guys with the name of Peter that have had a major influence on the wine industry)
Peter Marks - Icon Estates
Peter Granoff - Founder of Virtual Vineyards - Ferry Building Wine Merchants
Peter Sisson - Founder of Wineshopper.com - Serial entrepenuer

Now mind you there are many, many more and I just listed those who first came to mind. Here are some suggestions for kung foo categories you may look to add: most innovative small winery kung foo, best tasting room manager kung foo, best winery marketing kung foo, etc, etc - I look forward to your comments and to you helping me add to this list.

Inertia – Powering the Wine Revolution
Paul Mabray
CEO

The Wine 2.0 “Spring Fling” event, in case you hadn’t heard, was held this last Thursday at the Crushpad in San Francisco. The Crushpad, takes up the better part of of a city block in The Dogpatch neighborhood, just past AT&T park. The event started at seven, so some colleagues and I hailed a cab just before and made our way over. We spotted the entrance marked with Roshambo’s fifty foot wine wagon, check out the website to sneak a peak, it’s pretty impressive. Afraid of being a bit early, we found just the opposite, as it seems fashionably last was somewhere around six-thirty.

We walked in, grabbed our goblet, and started the second leg of the evening. They claimed to have over 40 wineries participating and I believe I tasted from at least 45, so lack of winery participation didn’t seem to be a problem. Soon all the faces from OWC and various wine related groups on Facebook seem to come to life. The 2.0 portion of the event included the who’s who of wine related sites such as Lloyd Benedict of American Winery and Mark Angelillo of snooth. It’s interesting to see that not only is the average age of wine consumers dropping, those that are bringing wine and technology together are the twenty-somethings that started their careers in tech and and saw the value it could add to the wine industry. Cheers to the folks who put the shindig together, I just need to clear the wallet out to make room for all the business cards I’ll collect at next years event.

Inertia – Powering the Wine Revolution
Corey Abrams
Trade Development Manager

It’s that time again - time for our Annual Consumer Direct Symposium which will be held on Friday, JULY 11th at COPIA. The symposium will be held in the theater at COPIA during the day; we’ll adjourn to the gardens in the evening for our Client Appreciation Party and enjoy some music, food, wine, and fun – all in the name of appreciation!

Our Annual Golf Scramble will be held at Chardonnay Golf Course on Saturday, July 12th. Even if you don’t golf, it’s sure to be a fun time. So, save the date for two days of learning and fun. More details to come. Hope to see you there!

Inertia – Powering the Wine Revolution
Jennifer Warrington
Marketing Manager