Tag Archives: bill skrapits

Hiring The Right People For Your Winery

Did you know that more than half of applicants lie or distort information on their application? Finding the right people for the job, no matter what position or business, is often frustrating, time consuming, and painful. Either you’re getting a … Continue reading

Posted in Education, Success & Profit, The Winery | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Winemakers: Got a Challenging Wine?

This isn’t my typical blog, but perhaps a relevant opportunity for some readers.  Recently we’ve had several inquiries by customers and winery owners about similar blending challenges.  Either, they have a wine that has been successful in the past, but … Continue reading

Posted in The Other 46, The Winery, Winemaker & Blending | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Arizona: A Budding Wine Frontier

Next stop on my Southwest Winery Tour was Arizona, the Grand Canyon State. With its mountains and deserts, Arizona’s wine industry faces interesting climate challenges. Most vineyards are located around Wilcox in the southeast corner of the state, with a … Continue reading

Posted in The Other 46, The Vineyard, The Winery | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Harvest: Maximizing Your Wine Production

It may seem like the buds just burst, but harvest will be sneaking up on us soon. In preparation for the exciting and hectic season, let’s look at what you can do now to be ahead of the game. Prior … Continue reading

Posted in The Winery, Winemaker & Blending | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Branding: What is your story?

What is branding? First, branding is not advertising.  It’s not just the company name, logo or label being recognized.  It’s not facts about your winery.  Real branding evokes an emotional response when the consumer sees your label or hears your … Continue reading

Posted in Success & Profit, The Winery | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Don’t Let A Freeze Get You Down

Typically in the wine industry, you have one or two out of every seven years where you lose over half your crop. Three to four years out of those seven, you have an average crop level. And one to two … Continue reading

Posted in The Other 46, The Vineyard, The Winery | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Asking The RIGHT Questions

Building the Foundation for Your Winery I have found that one of the biggest stumbling blocks for people in starting a business is not asking enough questions. And if they’re asking questions, often they aren’t the right questions of the … Continue reading

Posted in Success & Profit, The Other 46, The Winery | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Winery Bug Has Got You. Now What?

You are passionate about wine. Perhaps you’ve been making your own wine for family and friends. Maybe you’re even growing a few vines! But now you’re really excited and motivated about living the dream – being a winery owners and … Continue reading

Posted in Success & Profit, The Winery | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

David and Goliath: The Small Winery and the Distributor

Are your wines distributed?  Should they be?  Many small wineries ask themselves these questions.   The answers are not always easy to come by.   Let’s shed some light on the subject. First, how did we get here? Why do … Continue reading

Posted in Success & Profit, The Winery | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

To Blend or Not to Blend

I recently attended a seminar at Grayson College, Designing Varietal Wines & Blending, led by Texas wine industry leader, Dr. Roy Mitchell.  Credited with being one of the founders of Texas wine as we know it, Dr. Mitchell has been … Continue reading

Posted in The Winery, Winemaker & Blending | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment