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Navigating the Shifts and Opportunities in the Wine Industry in 2025

In the ever-evolving landscape of the wine industry, adaptability and innovation have never been more critical. With shifts in consumer demographics and broader economic factors at play, wineries are presented with both challenges and exciting opportunities. Engaging a younger, more diverse audience through creative marketing strategies is key to future growth. Despite current market fluctuations, the resilience of wine businesses showcases their ability to thrive and innovate. The future of the wine industry is bright, marked by the potential for renewed growth and broader accessibility to quality wines.

The State of the US Wine Industry Report 2025 by Silicon Valley Bank and the 2025 Direct-to-Consumer (DtC) Wine Shipping Report by Sovos and WineBusiness Analytics provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of the industry and its future prospects.

Dynamic Market and Opportunities

The wine industry is experiencing dynamic changes, presenting new opportunities for growth. While traditional metrics have flattened, this shift opens doors for innovative marketing strategies and fresh approaches to capturing new consumer segments. The decline in the wine market, including a 10% drop in DtC wine shipments, can be viewed as a call to action for wineries to adapt and evolve.

Embracing Younger Consumers

There’s a notable shift from older consumers (60+) to younger ones (30-45), who index lower for wine purchases. This demographic transition is an exciting opportunity for wineries to rebrand and connect with a more diverse audience. Engaging and creative marketing campaigns can attract younger consumers who bring new perspectives and enthusiasm to the wine culture.

Financial Resilience and Positive Trends

Despite softer sales and lower profitability, the majority of wine businesses report good financial health. This resilience showcases the industry’s ability to adapt and thrive even in challenging economic conditions. The ultra-premium segment ($80+ average bottle price) continues to show growth, reflecting consumers’ appreciation for high-quality wines.

Accessible Pricing and Broader Appeal

The current supply situation has led to more accessible bottle pricing, making quality wines more affordable for consumers. This broader accessibility can cultivate a larger and more loyal customer base. Additionally, wineries outside the West Coast have maintained stable pricing, ensuring consistent value for their customers.

Bright Future Outlook

The wine industry’s future is bright, with expectations of renewed growth. The decline in sales driven by Boomers is anticipated to stabilize, and premium business is predicted to return to growth between 2027 and 2029. By adapting to these shifts and harnessing the opportunities they present, the wine industry can continue to innovate, inspire, and prosper.

For more details, refer to the full articles: State of the US Wine Industry Report 2025 and 2025 Direct-to-Consumer Wine Shipping Report.

Cheers to the exciting journey ahead!

A Tale of Two Approaches: Harvesting by Hand and CPL People Over Automation

By Stacey HeuerIn both the world of winemaking and logistics, technology has made tremendous strides in efficiency and automation. Yet, there are times when the best results come from people who care deeply about their craft. Take, for example, wineries that harvest their grapes by hand. While machines can pick grapes faster, hand-harvesting provides a level of quality and care that often leads to superior wines. Similarly, in the world of third-party logistics (3PL), companies are beginning to question whether automation is always the best route, opting instead to reduce automation and invest in team members dedicated to providing high-quality service.

Hand-Harvested Grapes – Quality Over Quantity

For centuries, vineyards have been harvesting grapes by hand, especially for premium wines. Although mechanical harvesting can be faster and cheaper, hand-picking grapes offers several benefits that directly impact the quality of the wine.

  1. Selective Harvesting: Vineyard workers can carefully collect only the best fruit, ensuring that the vineyard produces a more balanced and high-quality wine. Machines, on the other hand, are indiscriminate, gathering everything in their path.
  2. Reduced Damage: Grapes are delicate, and mechanical harvesters can bruise or crush them, leading to unwanted oxidation or fermentation issues. Hand-harvested grapes are gently placed into containers, preserving their integrity and reducing spoilage.
  3. Human Expertise: Workers harvesting grapes by hand bring a level of knowledge and experience that machines simply can’t replicate. They know the right time to pick, the subtle differences in grape clusters, and how weather conditions may impact the fruit. This human element ensures that the wine created is truly a product of passion and care.

Copper Peak Logistics Investing in People for Superior Results

Much like winemakers who choose hand-harvesting for quality, Copper Peak Logistics invests in skilled team members who understand the value of human touch in providing excellent service. While automated warehouses can speed up processes and lower internal costs, there are key advantages to focusing on a team of dedicated employees.

  1. Attention to Detail: Much like selecting the perfect grape, experienced team members at CPL are more likely to notice small errors or quality issues that automation will miss. We provide quality control checks on outbound products, inspecting labels, foils, wax, and non-wine items for any imperfections that would negatively impact the customer experience.  All our team members know the impact they have on each and every package that leaves our facility.  Whether it’s packaging a delicate item or ensuring the accuracy of an order, human oversight can improve overall quality.
  2. Customer Relationships: CPL is made up of individuals skilled in logistics and we encourage our team members to interact with our winery partners.  We take everyone on our team to various wineries throughout the year to experience firsthand the industry they serve.  It is important to us that all our team members know the passion, and dedication that goes into the products we handle.  Our team’s dedication comes from experiencing and understanding the entirety of the wine industry.  They know the importance of continuing to recreate the customer experience by preserving the brand image and story of the winery all the way to the customers door. This level of dedication and personalized service from the top down and the bottom up goes far beyond anything automated systems can provide.
  3. Flexibility and Problem-Solving: In logistics, things can go wrong—whether it’s a delayed shipment or a sudden increase in orders. A well-trained team can quickly adapt, solve problems on the fly, and ensure that everything runs smoothly. Automation in fulfillment operations often forces all business to fit into a one-size-fits-all model, sacrificing flexibility for efficiency.  This approach overlooks the unique needs of individual clients, making it difficult to react to the unexpected, adapt to specific business requirements, and deliver personalized service.

The Common Thread: People Matter

In a world increasingly reliant on automation, there’s still immense value in human expertise. Hand-harvested grapes result in better wine, just as a logistics team dedicated to quality can provide superior service.  While automation has its place, it is just not in our warehouses where people are irreplaceable when it comes to delivering products and services that require care, attention, and a passion for quality.

Investing in team members who are committed to their craft—whether they’re harvesting grapes or packing and shipping orders—means investing in the long-term quality and success of an industry we can be proud of. In both cases, the decision to prioritize people over machines is a conscious choice to focus on excellence rather than speed, on relationships rather than transactions, and on the craft rather than the process.

For wineries and 3PL companies alike, the message is clear: automation may save time, but it’s the people behind the scenes who ultimately deliver quality.

Celebrating Thanksgiving with Gratitude

by Stacey HeuerAs Thanksgiving approaches, I find myself reflecting on all that I have to be thankful for, both personally and professionally. One of the standout moments this year has been the completion of and move into our brand-new, custom-built Napa facility. This isn’t just a warehouse; it’s a place that feels like home—a space we’ve meticulously crafted with love, dedication, and an unwavering commitment to an industry we are so proud to support.

Creating this facility was truly a labor of love, but it wasn’t just about constructing a building. It was about giving our team members a voice and recognizing the value of everyone’s insights and experience. We involved our team in every step of the design, layout, and process flow, ensuring that the new space not only met but exceeded the needs of those who would be using it every day. The impact of so many people coming together to contribute their expertise has been profound. The outcome of this collaboration truly represents our passion for the work we do. The result is a warehouse that is not only smooth and efficient but also a place where every team member can take pride in having helped to craft our new home.

Our pride in what we’ve built was on full display at our recent Open House celebration, where we were thrilled to share our new space with all our partners—clients, vendors, and industry friends. This event was more than just an opportunity to show off our new facility; it was a chance for our team to showcase their hidden talents. From gorgeous floral arrangements to beautifully prepared and presented food, everything was done by our Copper Peak Logistics team. It was a wonderful way to demonstrate how much we care about our partners and how much we value the relationships we’ve built over the years. We were so grateful to raise a glass with everyone and will cherish those memories for many days to come.

On a personal note, I want to express my deep gratitude for the opportunity to work at Copper Peak Logistics and for the Lane Family. Over the past 18 years, I’ve been given endless opportunities to grow and develop. I began as a consultant to the Lane Family, evaluating the idea of opening a third-party logistics company dedicated to serving the wine industry. After spending eight months interviewing wineries to understand their direct-to-consumer needs, we opened our first warehouse in May 2007. Since that day, Copper Peak Logistics has been built from the ground up, with every decision influenced by the voices and needs of our team members, clients, vendors, and prospects. After 18 years of success, three facility moves, and an impressive list of partners, we are now rooted in our permanent home. It’s been an incredible journey, and I’m thankful every day to be a part of it.

This Thanksgiving, as we reflect on our journey and the milestones we’ve achieved, I am filled with gratitude for our incredible team, clients, vendors, and industry friends. You are all truly a part of our Copper Peak Logistics family. Here’s to many more years of success and collaboration!

Thanksgiving

Handling Seasonal Wine Shipping Spikes

by: Stacey HeuerFor businesses in the wine industry, the holiday season, special events, and major wine releases often lead to sharp spikes in shipping demand. Meeting customer expectations during these busy times can be challenging, especially when it comes to maintaining both the quality and timely delivery of wine shipments. Partnering with Copper Peak Logistics (CPL) , a third-party logistics provider, offers a strategic solution. CPL  provides the strategies and resources necessary to handle seasonal wine shipping surges effectively, ensuring your customers receive their wine in perfect condition and on time.

Key Strategies Copper Peak Logistics Uses to Manage Seasonal Demand:

Scalable Infrastructure

Seasonal demand often brings a sudden influx of orders, putting a strain internal logistics and storage capacities. CPL’s new Napa facility features scalable infrastructure, customizable to meet the varying needs of our winery partners.  We have the additional storage space, workforce, and transportation solutions our partners needed. Whether it’s corporate gifting, custom club shipments, gift baskets, or large releases, CPL is equipped to scale operations without compromising service quality.

Example: During the holiday season, when orders surge, CPL has the capacity to drop in additional mobile shipping lines for clubs, daily orders, or kitting projects.  Our Napa facility was designed with electrical drops throughout to ensure flexibility with equipment and space, allowing us to handle any project efficiently.

Planning and Forecasting Support

One of CPL’s strengths is our ability to assist with demand forecasting. By analyzing historical shipping data and market trends, CPL can predict when and where demand will spike. This proactive approach ensures that we have the necessary resources in place for smooth operations during peak seasons. Our dedicated Client Services team works closely with our winery partners to schedule clubs, releases, and kitting projects.  This proactive coordination allows us to procure packaging, streamline process flows, and secure the staffing needed to manage high volumes.

Key Insight: Accurate forecasting and a deep understanding of industry trends enable CPL to stay ahead of demand, reducing the risk of delays or shortages during high-volume periods.

Inventory Management

Efficient inventory management is critical during high-demand periods. CPL uses advanced inventory systems to track stock in real time, giving you accurate visibility into your inventory across both our locations. This helps prevent orders being held for “ship complete,” ensuring that you can meet customer demand. We also have the ability to track inventory by production lot and expiration date for perishable items, ensuring expired products never reach a customer.

Benefit: Inventory alerts, such as low stock notices, ship-complete reports, and inventory status reports help ensure that you quickly replenish when demand spikes.

Flexible Shipping Solutions

Flexibility is essential during peak times. CPL offers multiple carrier options and access to various transportation methods, including expedited shipping and temperature-controlled options, to accommodate the diverse needs of wine shipments. We also have the ability to set priority levels on your orders, reroute shipments or switch carriers in case of delays, ensuring that deliveries stay on schedule. CPL stocks large inventory quantities of all our standard 750ml, large format, insulated shippers, and gift box packaging, ensuring that any unforeseen spikes in order volume can be handled without delay.

Why it Matters: During the busiest seasons, even a slight delay can lead to dissatisfied customers. CPL’s ability to adapt to changing conditions keeps shipments moving, even in high-demand periods.

Temperature-Controlled Logistics

Wine is a delicate product, and ensuring that it arrives in perfect condition requires careful handling, especially during extreme weather conditions. CPL offers temperature-controlled logistics to protect wine from heat or freezing temperatures.  Our interactive weather-hold feature allows our winery partners to place states on weather hold during extreme weather events.  Weather holds can be placed by carrier and service level. This is especially important during seasonal spikes, when shipping volumes are high, and the risk of delays is greater.

Pro Tip: Utilize CPL’s insulated packaging, Cold Chain solution, or discounted overnight pricing (summer months only) to protect wine quality from temperature fluctuations.  Leverage weather holds by service level to pause ground, 3Day, and 2Day shipments while still releasing overnight orders to take advantage of discounted pricing.

Surge Staffing

Managing a high volume of orders during seasonal peaks requires flexible manpower. Instead of overburdening your in-house team, CPL can provide surge staffing to handle increased demand. In addition to our full-time staff, our temporary workforce, trained in handling wine, ensures that we have the flexible personnel to keep operations running smoothly, and orders are processed without delays.

Benefit: By leveraging CPL’s staffing resources, you allow your team to focus on core business functions while avoiding the costs and administrative hassle of hiring seasonal employees internally.

Conclusion

Handling seasonal wine shipping spikes can be challenging, but partnering with Copper Peak Logistics makes it entirely manageable. With CPL’s scalable solutions, advanced technology, temperature control solutions, and expert planning, our winery partners can meet seasonal demand surges while maintaining the highest standards of quality and service. By leveraging the expertise of CPL, wineries and wine retailers can confidently navigate peak seasons, improve customer satisfaction, and focus on what they do best – producing and selling exceptional wine.

Shipping Third-Party Logistics 3PL

Getting Ahead of OND: Top Tips from Our Shipping Experts

Now is the time to start planning for the busy holiday season (OND).

We’ve written about OND planning in the past, but this year we turned directly to our experts and asked: What are they seeing “on the ground” this year, and what advice do they have for wineries for the coming season?

Here are their top three tips.

Tip #1: Decide on Gifting/Kitting ASAP

Gifting, especially corporate gifting programs, can be great for wineries. Those gift packages and kits will likely need additional items, however. For example, a gift set might include:

  • Special seasonal packaging
  • Collateral (brochures, catalogs, etc.)
  • Gift items(opener, glassware, etc.)
  • Specialty bags
  • Bellybands

“Anything special—packaging, bellybands, collateral, etc—should be ordered soon [in summer months] so as to not risk delays,” says Amanda Castorena, Account Executive here at Copper Peak. “If you order later when more wineries and companies are ordering as well, it might take longer than expected to receive what you need.”

Need some ideas for kitting and gifting? Talk with our team, or read about some of the cool ideas we’ve seen.

Tip #2: Get You Calendar Together

“Now is the time to submit all of your club setup forms, with ship dates, for the remainder of the year—if you have not already done so,” says Mike Galvan, our Senior Account Manager. Working daily with our clients, Mike has a good sense of how quickly schedules fill up.

For example: Because planning for OND is well underway, some ship dates have already been “blacked out” for the remainder of the year. (Mondays especially—these are typically the first to be blacked out.) And nothing is worse than creating a late-stage calendar, only to find out that your ship dates just aren’t possible.

Also, plan on adding a couple of days to your carrier’s normal time-in-transit commitments. That way, if there is a delay, you will still have some wiggle room.

Tip #3: Refresh and Schedule Your Marketing

When orders are rolling in, you might not have the  time to make sure your marketing materials are up-to-date and effective. So do that now, while in the planning phase.

For example:

  • Is the contact information on your website and any collateral accurate? (That includes email, phone number, website, social media, etc.)
  • Do you have enough printed material for your club orders and gifting? (See tip #1 above.)
  • Do you have enough merchandise for your gift kitting?
  • Is there a plan in place for publicizing your promotions? 

“You would be surprised how much frustration is created simply because a catalog or website lists an old customer service number or email,” says Mike. Correcting that is a quick fix, but one that is easily overlooked in the holiday rush.

Other Planning Tips

Looking for a way to track all of your “to-dos” that need to get done before the OND season hits? Check out this article and scroll down to find a checklist you can print.

We also recommend this recipe for holiday shipping success by our own Senior Vice President of Client Services, Merilee Anderson.

Need a little more “hands on” guidance in preparing for OND this year? Feel free to reach out to your Client Services Team.

Shipping OND

What Our Experts Advise When It Comes to Summer Shipping for Wine

Wine is sensitive to high temperatures, and that makes shipping it during the summer months extra tricky. Even if a bottle never passes through what we typically think of as the “hotter” states, the temperature in a carrier truck during the summer can be high enough to ruin a bottle for the end consumer.

We’ve written about the various options for summer shipping many times before. But we realize that, with so many options and strategies available, it might not be clear how to start thinking about the problem, let alone discovering what will work for your wine club or DTC channel.

So, we asked some of our experts: What do you think is the most important thing to remember when it comes to summer wine shipping?

Here are their top three tips.

Tip #1: Get a Weather Strategy in Place for Wine Shipping

We might not know exactly when a warm front is going to roll in, but we do know that one will come around eventually. So plan ahead and get your weather strategy in place.

“If a warm front is coming, decide early if you are going to want to use ice packs/express shipping or if you are going to place certain states on weather hold until it cools off,” suggests Amanda Castorena, Account Executive here at Copper Peak.

In other words, choose something—because having a plan in place, any plan, is better than no plan at all.

Tip #2: Consider FedEx Cold Chain for Summer Shipping Needs

The FedEx Cold Chain is a great option for wineries to ensure that their products are not compromised en-route because of heat.

Basically, packages are picked up by FedEx Supply Chain Transportation and delivered to their consolidation point. From there, packages are then placed on temperature-controlled line haul trucks and delivered to FedEx hub locations around the country. Cold chain can be used in conjunction with FedEx Delivery Manager or FedEx “Hold at Location” (HAL) services.

“[FedEx Cold Chain] is especially nice if any of our customers are concerned about weather,” says Mike Galvan, our Senior Account Manager. “It provides a great alternative to ice packs.”

Tip #3: Communicate with Customers

Communication with customers is always key, and that goes double when there might be shipping delays due to the weather.

“The sooner you have your plan in place, the easier it will be for your winery to communicate what is going on to your customers when there is a delay,” says Castorena. “They will likely be asking about lead times and delays anyway, so it’s better to have your message ready to go.”

It also helps to communicate to your customers about the potential risks associated with shipping during hot weather—and do so both before and after they have placed the order. When customers understand that you are safeguarding their product, they are often much more willing to tolerate a short delay. Wine enthusiasts care about wine safety!

Just Get Started

Again, there are many options for protecting your products, or at least holding them until the heat dies down. Which you choose will depend on how strict your shipping schedule is, and if your customers are okay with waiting out the summer heat.

But equally as important as which method you choose, is the fact that you plan ahead. Need help working through the options and contingencies? Talk to your Copper Peak partners today.

Wine Shipping

Copper Peak Logistics Names Senior Vice Presidents of Operations and Client Services

Napa, CA, May 29, 2024 - Copper Peak Logistics (CPL), a direct-to-consumer wine fulfillment, distribution, and logistics services company, has announced two promotions impacting its executive structure. 

Merilee Anderson, formerly Vice President of Client Services, will now serve as Senior Vice President of Client Services. Stacey Heuer, formerly Vice President of Operations, has been named Senior Vice President of Operations. 

Merilee Anderson and Stacey Heuer

“These promotions recognize the years of hard work and effort that Merilee and Stacey have contributed to CPL and the wine industry as a whole,” says Milton Cornwell, COO/Co-founder of CPL. “They’ve played a crucial role in creating a workplace where people can flourish, and they’re instrumental in providing our clients with white-glove fulfillment services.” 

Both Anderson and Heuer are pioneers in the wine fulfillment industry. Prior to joining CPL, they coordinated client services and operations for one of the country’s largest wine clubs and call centers. In their respective roles, they fostered and grew the firm’s direct-to-consumer (DTC) program and helped to develop an internal compliance program. 

Heuer left to join Copper Peak in 2006 and helped to plan the company’s launch. Anderson joined in 2008. As key members of CPL’s executive team, they have leveraged their institutional knowledge to introduce and refine the company’s personalized, client-centered vision to the Napa and Sonoma wine markets. 

“Early in my career, I worked at a winery that was fulfilling orders in-house, and we had full control over our product,” Anderson says. “When we decided to outsource to a fulfillment house, we lost that level of personalization and customization. At CPL, we’ve always had that in mind: Growth shouldn’t mean losing that personalized touch.” 

Heuer agrees. 

“The vision we started with was that we would operate as an extension of each winery’s business — not as just a vendor or a partner, but as a true part of their organization,” Heuer says. “We really wanted to extend ourselves to help them grow and accomplish their goals. That was always our number-one priority.” 

As Senior Vice Presidents, Anderson and Heuer will continue to coordinate their departments to serve each client effectively — and to manage CPL’s controlled growth as the company moves its operations to a new fulfillment center. 

“Part of why we’ve been successful, I think, is that our departments have the same dedication to our clients,” Anderson says. “That’s not always the case in the wine business. But early on, we learned who we really are as a company, and we’ve really stuck to that vision.” 

“Our company culture is absolutely essential for what we do.” Heuer says. “We want every member of our staff to understand what wine means from the client and the consumer’s point of view. This is actually somebody’s livelihood: It’s an art form, and we play an important part in it.” 

About Copper Peak Logistics 

CPL is a family-owned fulfillment company solely focused on the direct-to-consumer wine shipping industry. CPL provides craftsmanship fulfillment services to the wine industry and craft beverage producers. CPL’s proprietary software provides user-friendly functionality to improve transaction visibility, increase productivity and is seamlessly integrated with all of the most popular ecommerce engines and compliance resources. For more information, visit www.copperpeaklogistics.com. 

Merilee Anderson Stacey Heuer

Three Ideas to Increase Wine Sales in a Slow Season, or a Slow Year

Wine sales have a seasonal cycle to them. Wine orders, especially DTC wine orders, tend to spike during the holiday season (OND) and then even out in the new year, tapering off to a slower season as summer approaches.

But inventory does not always match this cycle. It’s not uncommon for a winery to see pallets of inventory waiting to move just as the slow season starts. 

Extra inventory can also happen if the year itself has been slow, regardless of what season it is. (And, for some wineries, that’s been the case this year—at least, if industry reports are to be believed.)

That’s the puzzle: How do you get all that inventory to move? We’ve seen some simple ideas that work well, and which can help you use what you have to your best advantage.

Idea #1: Mystery Cases

People love a good mystery. And they love to explore new things. So create a wine club package that is a “mystery pack” or mystery case. Fill it with a selection of products that have been slower to move—even better if you can group them into a theme!

While there are services out there that will bundle wines and help wineries sell that lingering inventory, they of course take a cut…after offering a steep discount to begin with. Why not put together the bundle yourself and keep all of the margin? Mystery bundles are easy to compose, working directly with your logistics partner. (If you do not have one, we can help.)

You can even do some fun things with the unboxing experience here. For example, you could play up the mystery theme by hiding the wine labels and leaving a list of clues for the recipient.

Idea #2: Make an Event or Experience Out of a Selection

Here’s an idea we saw that we just loved: One winery had a “white sale” to clear out some bottles—all white wines, of course. They timed this club package to come out just in time for National White Wine Day (August 4). Along with the package, they provided customers with a link to an online “live tasting” where one of the owners did a tasting and review of each wine in the package.

There’s so much to appreciate here:

  • Having a theme for the shipment
  • Timing the shipment (and crafting an appropriate theme) to coincide with a “wine holiday”
  • Offering a virtual tasting in real-time so that customers could explore with the owner

Of course, you aren’t limited to just white wines to do this. You can pick virtually any theme, with a little creativity. A good place to start is to look at the calendar of wine holidays and see which ones you can use to your advantage here. (Prohibition Repeal Day, #CabernetDay #DrinkWineDay, and so many more!)

Idea #3: Take the Time to Get Ahead of OND

Having a slow season, or a slow year, isn’t just a problem of stocked-up inventory. It also means your team and your resources are not being used to their maximum capacity, either. But just because sales are slow doesn’t mean there isn’t critical work to do—in fact, this is when wine clubs should be at their busiest!

For example, you and your team should be…

  1. Reviewing your metrics
  2. Planning out the marketing strategy for the rest of the year
  3. Working through the OND season checklist
  4. Taking a look at the customer journey
  5. Devising some ideas for gifts (especially corporate gifts)
  6. Considering what to do about merchandise
  7. Looking into packaging alternatives

A slow season is a great time to engage with us in order to review your metrics and plan ahead for OND. This is the long-term play—getting future inventory to move at the rate it should so you are not stuck with extra next year!

These are just three ideas to try when things are slow. Is your winery doing something creative to move inventory? We’d love to hear your story!

Tomorrow Is Here: 3 Futuristic-Sounding Technologies That Are About to Take Over in the Wine Industry

We are always in awe of the cool technologies our industry comes up with every year. We hear the buzz at trade shows like the DTCWS and read futuristic-sounding articles that round up what wineries around the world are doing. There are some neat things just on the horizon, and these things will particularly affect the kinds of wineries that come to us for help with their DTC shipping and fulfillment.

Here, then, are some of the top trends and technologies we are seeing, and that we feel are poised to become common practice throughout the wine industry.

Augmented Reality, Augmented Bottles

Augmented reality is simply the idea of integrating digital information (and even digital interaction) right at the point where the user is already interacting with something in physical reality. While many augmented reality experiences started with clumsy-looking VR headsets and glasses, many simpler projects are taking root using just a smartphone and a QR code. Enter the augmented bottle.

The idea is either to replace or enhance the label on the bottle. To do this, customers can scan a QR code or the picture on the label of the bottle itself with their smartphone. Doing so can lead the customer to wine information and reviews—or just make the picture on the label come to life in some fun new ways.

As wineries face the challenge of putting more and more information on a relatively tiny space, we expect to see more augmented reality labels, and even some custom packaging that supports the story being told. This new way of interacting with customers opens the door to gaining crucial data on who is inclined to be a brand advocate.

Augmented labels also open up possibilities for how wine is enjoyed. Imagine that you’ve just received a wine club package from your favorite winery. Just by scanning the label, you can open up a video recording that goes over the tasting notes as you enjoy your club package. It takes the experience of opening and enjoying that wine package to all-new heights.

These kinds of trends will affect both how wine is displayed and marketed in-store, and how it is shipped directly to consumers.

Artificial Intelligence in Wine Sales and Marketing

More and more companies are leaning on AI for everything, from creating marketing materials to data analysis and operations management. So what sorts of things are wineries looking to do with such tools, specifically?

Data analysis for sales forecasting and pipeline prediction. Machine learning algorithms are able to pore through mountains of data, catching patterns a human might miss, or that might simply take a lot of time (and math). Larger wineries are now using these tools to predict potential sales volume across different channels (in the tasting room, shipped DTC, or through three-tier networks) and optimize their spend.

Customer service with NLP. AI tools can now produce natural-sounding language, and even hold entire conversations using Natural Language Processing (NLP). Such tools are common in customer service to power pop-up chat windows and phone triages, as well as to populate FAQs. They can also be used to create compelling email and social media copy for a winery’s digital marketing efforts. 

AI-Powered CRMs. AI is at its best when it is tasked with automating the more repetitive administrative tasks. AI-powered CRMS, for example, help to capture contact data and activity automatically, drastically reducing manual data entry. Those points of contact can then be mapped to opportunities—for example, flagging customers who might appreciate a certain seasonal special, or automating birthday messages and gifts.

A New Science of Sustainability for the Next Generation

Precision viticulture employs cutting-edge technologies, such as drones, satellite imagery, and sensors, to collect and analyze data on soil composition, weather conditions, vine heath, and monitoring the fermentation process. It lays a foundation for understanding how green initiatives can improve the quality of the land and grapes grown there. Being “green” and sustainable has always been important to the wine industry. It is an agricultural industry, after all, and wineries understand all too well the importance of caring for the land.Still, the science of sustainability has lagged somewhat behind the good intentions of the industry…but that’s changing. A new focus on “regenerative agriculture” is seeking to repair the soil and the ecosystems that help to produce wine. Some of the projects within this movement include increasing biodiversity, integrating livestock into growing procedures to help enhance soil naturally, minimizing reliance on pesticides and other chemicals, and enhancing awareness of, and demand for, organic wines. There are now certification programs in place for wineries that adhere to such regenerative practices.

It’s worth noting that younger wine drinkers are especially eager to embrace these trends. In fact, wine marketing firms are advising many of their customers to tout any sort of green processes and sustainability efforts, as this is becoming a key differentiator with younger drinkers.

Where Do You Stand?

As we’ve said before, it’s easy to be impressed by cool new technologies. It’s also just as easy to dismiss a newer, untested technology because of the perceived hype. All the more reason to ask yourself: Which technologies are being tested and used now? Which can have a direct impact sooner rather than later? And where do they impact the process—is it in the viticulture itself? In the experience the customer has when they open a shipment? Or is it one of the thousands of steps in between?

Here at Copper Peak, we stay on top of trends, particularly as they affect the DTC wine market. If you are eager to learn more, or just want to see if DTC is the right move for you this year, reach out to us.

AI AR Augmented Reality

Marketing Fundamentals for Small Wineries

You’ve created a wine that you can be proud of: The grapes were just right, the fermentation went as planned, and there’s now a great product sitting in your bottles, ready to be enjoyed.

How do you get the word out?

This is not a trivial task. You could have the most delicious wine on the planet, but if no one knows about it, it won’t sell. More than that, consumers need to know about you—not just the wine in the bottle, but the brand that created that wine.

This is where wine marketing becomes critical. And while larger wineries and big brand names can throw a lot of money at their marketing departments, smaller wineries have to be more clever with their marketing dollars. Fortunately, building a base of loyal customers doesn’t have to break the bank for your business. In fact, the best thing to do is to go back to the basics.

Here, then, are the six fundamentals of wine marketing, and how implementing them can grow your customer base while giving you the most bang-for-your-buck.

  1. Start with your metrics
  2. Tell your story
  3. Create a customer loyalty program
  4. Include special offers with shipments
  5. Use merchandise strategically
  6. Go local and steal the show

Start with Your Metrics

Understanding the numbers behind your sales gives you the ability to make strategic, data-powered decisions–especially if you sell your wine direct-to-consumer (DTC). For example, which products are moving, and at what times of the year? What is the lifetime value of a customer? What is your churn rate? A breakdown of the most useful metrics can be found in our piece “The Metrics of Wine Clubs.” Using those, you can forecast future needs, find areas of potential growth, and spot opportunities for improvement.

Tell Your Story

Engaging on social media—and elsewhere—requires your brand to be authentic and approachable. A good way to do both is by telling your brand story, through words, pictures and video.

For example, be sure to take pictures and videos of the harvest at harvest time, and post them on social media channels. Or perhaps show yourself tasting the wine straight from the barrel to ensure its quality. Hire a photographer to capture your winery and tasting room at its best, and then talk about the dreams you had for the place when it first opened.

These glimpses into your company will help customers feel more connected to your wine and your business. When customers feel connected to your business, they are more likely to trust it. And that’s really the key to developing customer loyalty.

Create a Customer Loyalty Program

It costs more to gain a new customer than it does to keep one. And your current customers will spend, on average, 67% more than new ones will.  No wonder customer loyalty programs are so hot! These programs reward customers for frequent and repeat purchases, often with special gifts or points. But the real payoff is that they are great for gathering important demographic information about your customers, which in turn allows you to tweak your marketing messages and tactics.

Include Special Offers with Shipments

Including special offers with each shipment also encourages your customers to keep coming back. This could be something as simple as a coupon code that offers a discount on a special item, or on the next shipment. As offers get used, you’ll also start amassing useful data—for example, you can see which products make good “introductory” products, encouraging further purchases. Even a well-thought-out shipping deal might be enough to turn a one-off customer into a repeat fan.

If discounts and deals don’t feel right for your brand, try going in the other direction and proving a “value add” to shipments. A little creativity and a good kitting service can go a long way here. For example, a shelf-stable food that pairs well with your wine, small leatherette case, or even something that provide a sensory experience (like a sprig of lavender) can really up the consumer experience.

Use Merchandise Strategically

Merchandise is so much more than your logo on a wine glass or hat. The right merchandise can make for great gifts, helping consumers mark special occasions or celebrate milestones. These can be included in club shipments or sold separately (online or in the tasting room) for an added stream of income. Added bonus #1: Merchandise sold on the premises helps increase “linger time.” Added bonus #2: Merchandise helps keep your brand top-of-mind and thus also reduces churn.

For more on the right ways to create and implement a merchandise strategy, check out our white paper “’Winery Merchandise: Strategy and Ideas From Industry Experts and Successful Cases.

Go Local and Steal the Show

The goal of marketing is to grow, and wine marketing can allow your winery to grow on a national level. But to do that, you often have to start small.

Start by creating positive experiences at local events. Look for small fairs and festivals where you can utilize existing staff, build some displays, and take your products out to sample (legally, of course). And don’t just look for wine-focused festivals or wine walks; the best event is one where your wine is the only one being sampled, because then all the attention is going to be on you and your product!

That said, it’s not a bad idea to band together with other local wineries and shops, too. Wine lovers want to experience all sorts of different wines, and a wine tour, wine walk, or tasting tent at a festival is a good way to get a lot of people in front of your brand at one time.

Want More Wine Marketing and Wine Promotion Ideas?

With a little creativity and a good marketing plan, your small winery can bring in big business. Make it a habit to revisit your metrics and your overall marketing plan every year, as trends and technologies change rapidly. We also recommend checking out our other articles on wine marketing trends and winery growth.

And once your DTC channel has grown to the point where you need a little help, reach out to us. We’ve helped many small wineries grow and scale their operations, and we’re happy to help our fellow enthusiasts in the industry.

About

At Copper Peak Logistics, we deliver the very best experience in wine fulfillment, supporting you as you cultivate your direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales through wine clubs, eCommerce, events, telesales, and tasting rooms. We pick, pack, and ship your wines with the utmost care and precision, so your end customers receive them in a way that represents the artistry and devotion you put into producing them. We call this craftsmanship fulfillment, where human touch, white glove service, and honoring commitments still matter 

 

The Copper Peak Logistics team is comprised of Wine Industry, eCommerce and Logistics industry veterans who are just as dedicated to your product as you are. Strategically located temperature controlled warehouses allow us to cost-effectively deliver your hard work to 98% of the doorsteps in America in under two days. We’re dedicated and driven to create and deliver a premier craftsmanship approach to fulfillment of your specialty products. As a WIN member, we look forward to serving you.

 

For more information, visit us at http://www.copperpeaklogistics.com, and don’t forget to check out our industry blog with wine industry and logistics news, tips, and expert insights. When you have questions, reach out to the CPL team at sales@copperpeaklogistics.com or call 707-265-0100.

Contact

Contact List

Title Name Email Phone Extension
VP Client Services Merilee Anderson manderson@copperpeaklogistics.com 7072650100
COO Milton Cornwell MCORNWELL@COPPERPEAKLOGISTICS.COM 7072650100

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Copper Peak Logistics 1160 Research Blvd., St. Louis MO United States of America 63132
Copper Peak Logistics 5555 Broadway Street/Hwy 29, Suite 100, American Canyon CA United States of America 94503

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