A Modest Proposal for Enhancing a Wine Region's Visitors

This modest proposal in no way includes eating children.

It’s a modest proposal, but not in that Jonathan Swift sort of way. No one will be eating anyone.

Despite admonitions by very smart people that wineries need to do a better job of selling wine online, most wineries have invested a great deal in their tasting rooms. And, indeed, the sales and wine club memberships that result from entertaining visitors in those rooms are essential to the profitability of most small and medium-sized wineries.

It’s further true and agreed upon by most folks who have looked at the issue that the high price of tasting at wineries is a deterrent to bringing visitors to those tasting rooms.

Meanwhile, you’ve got Sonoma County as well as other locations considering implementing a Winery Improvement District (WID) that would tax the sales at wineries within the District to raise funds to promote the region’s wineries. It’s an idea that Sonoma really never considered until the downturn in wine sales.

In the end, everyone wants to bring more people out to the wineries, either via promotion or some other mechanism. So, here’s my pretty simple and modest proposal:

ONCE PER QUARTER, EVERY MEMBER OF THE SONOMA COUNTY VINTNERS ASSOCIATION WAIVES ALL TASTING FEES AT THEIR WINERIES FOR A SPECIFIC WEEKEND AND THEY PROMOTE THE HELL OUT OF THIS WELL IN ADVANCE.

There are some benefits in this proposal.