Festivals. Are you participating in local and regional wine festivals? If you’re not, you should be. Festivals are a great way to have your wine tasted by lots of people in a short period of time. Attendees of wine and food festivals actually enjoy wine and food – go figure! 😉 And they are excited and receptive to unique, interesting flavors and experiences. They are out to see what the local chefs and wineries are creating, to have fun and take home something cool and unique to share with their friends. Make what they want to share with others YOUR wine! Don’t let these fun opportunities pass you by!
How Festivals Can Benefit Your Winery:
1. Marketing – have brochures or business cards, with the location of your winery and a website for events you host.
2. Sales – actually getting people to buy bottles of your wine at the festival (if legal).
3. Branding – Get your label in front of people. If you have time, tell them a “short”
version of your story – how you came to be and about your wine. Make sure you distinguish yourself from all the other wines they will taste that day.
Below are some local and regional festivals of The Other 46 in the southwest and midwest coming your way soon. I am sure I missed some, so if you have others to add – please feel free to comment and post.
TEXAS
Kerrville Wine & Music Festival
Aug 31- Sep 2, 2012
Grapefest
Sept 13-16, 2012
(See my take on Grapefest and how to get the most out of participating.)
Houston Wine Fest
Sept 24-25, 2012
Fredericksburg Food & Wine Fest
Oct 27, 2012
ARIZONA
Wine and Dine in the Pines
August 19, 2012
Sedona Winefest
Sept 22-23, 2012
Tempe Festival of the Arts
AZ Wine Festival
Nov 30-Dec 2, 2012
COLORADO
Colorado Urban Winefest – Denver
June 9, 2012
Telluride Wine Festival
June 27-July 1,2012
Castle Rock Winefest
July 21, 2012
Steamboat Wine Festival
August 2-5,2012
Colorado Mountain Winefest – Palisade
September 13-16,2012
NEW MEXICO
25th Annual New Mexico Wine Festival
Sept 1-3, 2012
KANSAS
Salute! A Festival of Wine & Food
July 12-14, 2012
IOWA
Iowa Wine Fest
June 9, 2012
IDAHO
Terrace Lakes Wine & Art Festival
June 23-24, 2012
Sun Valley Harvest Fest
Sept 21-23, 2012
WISCONSIN
Lake Geneva Wine Festival
September 8, 2012
UTAH
Park City Food & Wine Classic
July 5-8, 2012
ILLINOIS
Windy City Wine Festival
Sept 7-8, 2012
Festival of the Vine
Sept 7-9, 2012
Illinois Wine & Art Festival
Last weekend of September
MISSOURI
Midwest Wine and Brew Fest
August 11, 2012
Augusta’s Harvest Festival
Sept 14-15, 2012
Missouri Food & Wine Festival
Sept 22, 2012
MICHIGAN
The Paw Paw Wine & Harvest Festival
Sept 7-9, 2012
MINNESOTA
Cannon Falls Wine & Art Festival
July 21-22, 2012
THE DAKOTAS
Great Dakota Wine Festival
Aug 25, 2012
It will be harvest soon too. Maybe that’s a fine time for you to host your own event OR collaborate with your neighboring wineries to create your own wine festival. Remember, your neighboring winery is not your enemy! If you are small and there are other small wineries nearby, you can create a greater draw by partnering and working together.
Salut!
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Texas Wine Festivals:
http://txwinelover.com/2012/07/texas-2012-autumn-wine-festivals/