October 2009
9 posts
What we need… is a blog! →
I’ve heard this phrase countless times from wineries interested in exploring the world of social media marketing. The truth is, however, that not every winery needs or should have a blog….
There’s wine from the Midwest, doncha know? →
Map courtesy of http://iguide.travel
Quick! Name the first American Viticultural Area (AVA) established in the United States. Napa? Nope. It was Augusta, as in Augusta, MISSOURI….
Bio-dynomite! →
A little over a week ago, Benziger Family Winery hosted a blogger event at their estate. A dozen bloggers were in attendance as the folks at Benziger rolled out the dog-and-pony show. And…
Why you need Cruvee →
Yesterday, Cruvee announced a new suite of features. I’ve been using Cruvee for the better part of a year now, and am very pleased with this recent development. In case you don’t know,…
There’s an app for that! →
This week, VinTank released it’s much anticipated report on iPhone wine apps. Presented in two parts (Monday, October 5th and Tuesday, October 6th) on Palate Press, VinTank’s…
How will new FTC rules affect sampling? →
Yesterday, the Federal Trade Commission announced that it had approved final revisions to their Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising, which address…
R.I.P. Gourmet →
This qualifies as the stunning news of the month. A New York Times report from today indicates that the publishing company Conde Nast will be closing the doors on Gourmet Magazine….
Drink local! →
The week of October 11th marks the second annual Regional Wine Week. What is Regional Wine Week? I’m glad you asked.
Regional Wine Week is the brainchild of Jeff Siegel (Fort Worth Star…
New Website for Academy of Wine Communications →
The AWC website has a new look and new functionality.
This week we launched a new website for the Academy of Wine Communications. I’ve been working on it for the past few months, and…
No, I’m not dead →
If you spend any time at all on this blog, you may have noticed that I haven’t posted anything in a while. No, I’m not dead on the side of the road somewhere. And, no, I haven’t given up on…
August 2009
6 posts
Family Winemakers Need Social Media →
This week I attended the Family Winemakers of California trade tasting in San Francisco. There were hundreds of family-owned wineries pouring their wines. They ranged in production from…
Holy Sh*t! They can make wine in Texas! →
As mentioned in my last post, I spent last weekend in Dallas, Texas at the Drink Local Wine Conference and TEXSOM. While the general goal of the DLW Conference was to discuss the topic of…
Yes, Bobby, they do make wine outside of... →
This past weekend, I attended the Drink Local Wine Conference in Dallas, Texas. Some 75 people met at Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts Dallas to meet and discuss the…
Caveman and Cruvee →
It’s official. I’ve been appointed to the Board of Advisors of Cruvee along with John Corcoran. The announcement went out last Thursday, August 13th. I’m looking forward to working with…
Social Media is Not a Magic Bullet →
Social Media is just another part of the marekting mix. Image courtesy of The Oyster Project Blog (theoysterproject.blogspot.com).
There has been a lot of excitement lately among…
Reverse Social Media Experiment →
I recently met and befriended Karen Gurney of Winebard.ca at the Wine Bloggers Conference. She’s a great gal, and what can I say… I love Canadians. Anyway, she has this crazy idea for a…
July 2009
6 posts
WBC 09: A Photo is Worth… →
Just for fun, here is the photographic evidence from the Wine Bloggers Conference.
WBC 09 Breakout sessions →
As with last year, I brought my camcorder with me to the Wine Bloggers Conference and recorded the three breakout sessions I attended. This time I brought a tri-pod (yay!). So, no more shakey camera…
Wine Bloggers Unite! →
I have just returned from the 2nd annual North American Wine Bloggers Conference. I was there at the 1st conference, and my how things have changed. Last year, most people I spoke with…
Wine and Technology →
The Wine Industry Technology Symposium took place last Thursday and Friday, July 16 and 17 at the Marriott Napa Valley. The purpose of the conference is to explore the confluence of wine and…
A Really Goode Decision →
Today saw the climax of the saga that was the Really Goode Job promotion by Murphy-Goode Winery. The candidate awarded the job of Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent is none other…
Top Ten Reasons why… →
Ten candidates remain for A Really Goode Job
After a short hiatus, I’m back again with some comments on A Really Goode Job from Murphy-Goode Vineyards. From over 2000 video…
June 2009
4 posts
Caveman on Wine Biz Radio →
In case you missed it, last week I was on Wine Biz Radio talking about this blog and the Academy of Wine Communications. Keeping up with Kaz and Randy was a bit of a challenge, but I…
Academy of Wine Communications →
New logo designed by Design This!
Over the past few months, I have been working on re-launching the Academy of Wine Communications. I had been thinking of starting an organization of…
Caveman on Andy’s Goode Life Blog →
I wrote a guest post for Andy’s Goode Life blog on what to do if you aren’t picked for Murphy-Goode’s “Really Goode Job”. In it, I give 10 tips for future success after the MG job is…
Crisis Communications and New Vine Logistics →
New Vine Logistics, probably the largest direct-to-consumer fulfillment house in the business, shuttered their doors on Friday, May 29. The news has been all over the Blogotwittersphere…
May 2009
8 posts
Caveman on New Wine Consumer →
In case you missed it, yesterday (May 26, 2009) I was on the New Wine Consumer broadcast/webcast/podcast discussing the Academy of Wine Communications. I think I did pretty good, if I do…
Social Media Marketing Presentation →
I taught a segment on Social Media Marketing for Brian Avila’s class at Napa Valley College today. It was a good class with varying levels of knowledge in terms of social media. I figured that the…
What the heck is a TweetUp? →
Tweetup at the Girl & The Fig: (let to right) Josh Hermsmeyer, Tim Elliott, Valerie Patterson, Lisa Adams Walter, and Monica Granados
Last Thursday, a number of wine and food…
It’s Murphy Goode! →
In case you haven’t heard, Murphy-Goode Winery in Alexander Valley is running a social media campaign to find a “Murphy-Goode Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent.” A Really Goode Job is…
VinTank Social Media Whitepaper →
Today is a momentous day for the wine business. VinTank, the digital “think tank” for the wine industry, has published the first ever whitepaper on social media and wine. I’ve had the…
Drink This TV →
One of the more interesting developments in the online/social media sphere recently is the launch of DrinkThisTV.com. The brainchild of Bob Asher, a TV producer with hundreds of hours of…
Sponsor a needy wine blogger →
The Wine Bloggers Conference is coming up in July. It will again take place in Santa Rosa, California. Bloggers from all over the country (and world) will converge at the Flamingo Resort…
Social Media Tipping Point →
We’ve reached a tipping point in social media with the White House tipping the balance.
I believe today we reached a tipping point in social media. What’s a tipping point? According to…
April 2009
6 posts
Still No Respect… →
The saga continues in the realm of wine writer/blogger ethics. Since yesterday, there have been a few more posts on the subject.
Joel Vincent wrote a direct response on his blog, in which…
No Respect… Blogger Ethics… AGAIN? →
Bloggers still get no respect.
It has been an interesting week in the blogotwittersphere. Twitter has been abuzz with a debate that started as a question regarding policies at the…
HdR #TTL OMG! →
Last night was the largest global online event ever. The phenomenon of Twitter Taste Live has taken off with a life of its own. In case you’ve been living in a cave… actually, even that’s…
Thoughts on Wine 2.0 →
A few weeks ago I attended the Wine 2.0 event in San Francisco at Crushpad. The folks who run Wine 2.0, Cornelius Geary, Smoke Wallin, and Abdi Humphries were kind enough to provide me with…
WBC 09 announces new sponsors →
The WBC organizers ask: Got Milk?
Today, the Wine Bloggers Conference announced that they had secured several additional sponsors for the 2009 conference in Santa Rosa, California….
Vintage Humor for April Fools Day →
In honor of April Fools Day, I thought it appropriate to review a book on wine-related humor. I was sent a copy of Vintage Humor for Wine Lovers by author Malcolm Kushner. All I can say is,…
March 2009
9 posts
Selling Wine and Giving Back →
Giving back has never been easier.
A few weeks ago, I posted an article on wineries getting involved in their communities and in their world. I had a few ideas on how wineries could…
The Devil is in the Details →
Success is in the details
Today I received a call from a salesperson who was selling a certain service for Public Relations professionals. Not an unusual occurrence. In fact, this same…
Customer Service is Key to Survival →
There have been some interesting blog posts lately on how poor customer service can affect the bottom line. WineDiverGirl describes her experience on recent trip to a local Napa winery and…
How involved are you? →
This evening, my wife and I had dinner out with my parents, sister, and her boyfriend. It was actually a typical experience with my family which involved much debate, most of it political….
On Awards and Blogs →
I won! I won a blog award! Um, ok, so it isn’t an American Wine Blog Award. In fact it’s an American Squirrel Wine Blog Award. That’s right, the folks at Las Flores View Point Squirrel…
How much is that wine worth? →
WinePrices iPhone App from VinFolio
Over the past few days I’ve been testing a new iPhone app from VinFolio: WinePrices.
The company has been working on the app for the past few…
Gary Vaynerchuk - Stop crying, think, wipe your... →
I basically live by this philosophy. Quit your whining and just do it!
On Awards and Blogs | Caveman Wines →
I won! I won a blog award! Um, ok, so it isn’t an American Wine Blog Award. In fact it’s an American Squirrel Wine Blog Award. That’s right, the folks at Las Flores View Point Squirrel Colony in Camp Pendleton, California have given me an award for the Best New Blog with the Best Ever Surname…
Caveman Wines →
A link to my blog where I discuss relevant topics on wine marketing and public relations.