Salad and Go’s Post

https://lnkd.in/gHh8Wukj If you've ever pondered a trip to Prince Edward County (PEC) for a wine excursion, I am sure reading this will convince you to start the car and go. Here's my latest article, in Good Food Revolution, about my time at Élevage in PEC

Recoopered Oak Barrels: Are They Worth It for Home Aging?: Recoopered oak barrels are a cost-effective, eco-friendly option for aging beverages at home. These repurposed barrels offer unique flavors and require specific maintenance, making them a worthwhile choice for enthusiasts seeking complexity and sustainability in their home-aged spirits and wines... The post Recoopered Oak Barrels: Are They Worth It for Home Aging? appeared first on White Dog Barrels.

Considering introducing slush machines into your drinks menu? Here's Adam Rich and Chris Brennan with some frozen cocktail inspiration 👇

Restaurants are among the most difficult businesses to expand and maintain and here’s why… Local flavors and preferences are deeply tied to the culture of a region. By incorporating these elements into their menu offerings, restaurants show respect for the local culture and demonstrate that they understand and appreciate the tastes of the community they are serving. By catering to local flavors and preferences, restaurants can better meet the expectations and tastes of their customers. This can lead to higher customer satisfaction, repeat business, and positive word-of-mouth recommendations within the community. In a competitive market, understanding and incorporating local flavors can give restaurants a competitive edge. Adapting menu offerings to local flavors and preferences shows flexibility and adaptability on the part of the restaurant. This willingness to tailor their offerings to meet the needs of the local market can help restaurants build stronger connections with the community. Ultimately, considering local flavors and preferences can have a positive impact on a restaurant's financial performance. By satisfying local tastes, restaurants are more likely to attract and retain customers, leading to increased sales and profitability.

Research is underway to learn more about how to assess smoke damage caused by wildfire before grapes are made into wine. #californiawineries #wildfireseason #wildfire https://lnkd.in/gjJ3xNAv

I received a WSET Alumni email earlier today saying that 2024 saw a record number of Wine Diploma graduates. Great news if you ask me. However, there has been a lot of discussion here on LinkedIn lately regarding whether or not the wine business needs more WSET or otherwise wine-educated people. The point emphasized is that there is no lack of wine knowledge in the industry and that what the industry needs is not more educators, but more consumer understanding, more marketing and communication skills. I wholeheartedly agree that it's high time the wine business started taking marketing seriously and even prioritizing it at the same level as the product quality and state-of-the-artedness of the equipment. However, it does not seem right to oppose one over the other. People who come to WSET typically do not do it the first day after leaving secondary school with the idea of becoming wine educators. More often than not you see at any WSET (or other) course people who are professionals already in sales, marketing, and/or management. They come for more knowledge and a personal challenge. In any case, it cannot possibly hurt the industry to have its professionals educated about the subject of the industry. What do you think? #drinks #drinksindustry #wine #winebusiness #wineeducation #wset #dipwset

The power of distribution needs to shift for ALL farmers. There is no distribution without the farmer.. The only way that this can happen in the wine industry is through customer education and good messaging. If you give customers clear information they usually feel empowered to make more informed decisions. So if they know that this bottle comes from a small family owned winery because it clearly states it with a sticker, then your client has a choice to make. When I worked in a small boutique wine store in Brisbane a few years back we had a lot of people asking for vegan wine and the only way to identify this was to read the label on the back of the bottle. We ended up putting a small orange sticker on these in the shop so customers could easily identify their additional preference. Outcome, we sold more vegan wine. The heavy lifting and messaging always gets more traction if it is managed as a collective, so if Coles and Woolies/Endeavour take away the home brand label, then the opposite now needs to apply. I hope we can find solutions that empower the small family owned produces to be easily recognised. At the end of the day they are competing on the shelves with the owner of the store. Maybe we should look at getting back to the farmers markets and buying from the maker as much as we can. I decided to make a post rather than just a response of an earlier Linkedin comment as it is important and needs lots of discussion. Here is the earlier correspondence and link to the video from 4 Corners: https://lnkd.in/gm4xRjWU #wine #wineries #winefuture #wineindustry #winebusiness #vinCreative

Check out our new video about Top 3 things to eat at the The General Ledger in Blue Ridge, GA! Which dish are you looking to try first? #georgiafoodies #wheninblueridge #northgeorgia #foodiefinds #foodieadventures #foodblog #restaurantmarketing

Got a new piece up at The Food Institute on Red Lobster's recent shrimp woes. In short: they expanded their $20 all-you-can-eat shrimp deal from Mondays to every day, and it was so successful the brand ended 2023 $22m in the red, their CEO has been replaced, and their parent company is exploring a sale. Enshittification isn't limited to tech—private equity is squeezing everything until it pops. More at the link, including expert opinion from Thibaud Denolle, Joseph Szala, GSD, DCMJ, and Aaron Anderson. #redlobster #restaurantbusiness #privateequity

Where are the helpers? Who are the helpers? I do believe the big brains are circling together and working to prevent this demise. I joined a big meeting with the Family Winemakers of California last week in Sacramento with the lobbing firm who is our voice for the state, an organization that every single indie winery should join immediately. They are the protectors, a voice for us all. I can’t express this enough. The 3T game flipped on us small guys in 2020, now Smith Story is gaining traction again utilizing DTC data that is helping connect our wholesale states to exactly where our wines would sell well. It is working. We are busier than ever before on the front lines to bridge this gap between wineries, wholesalers, accounts and the end wine consumer. North Coast Wine Country travel is crickets. The California economy isn’t helping, hasn’t been. Wineries…are you communicating to your fan base how easy it is to land in the heart of Wine Country? Blast this out, Charles M Schulz-Sonoma County Airport-STS is a beautiful option for those hating on San Francisco. Cost of living, cost of making a product from the earth… it is all playing a role in this downturn. I remain optimistic!! Wine is a pleasure, it is history, wine is geography, wine is social and in moderation wine is the most affordable luxury at the dinner table. “We didn’t get this far to just get this far, making and selling wine is the livelihood for thousands of hard working passionate people in the Goldenstate.” Who’s with me? We all need to be a helper. https://lnkd.in/grNYiiPG