Chateau Haut-e-Ness

No, we're not considering a name change! I’m reading an article about “Hot Winery Trends” that are helping attract customers in this flagging winery economy. These are:

Hot Trend #1: Mobile Wine Tourism – meet the consumer where they are

Hot Trend #2: Winery owner Interaction

Hot Trend #3: Unique events and tours

Hot Trend #4: Drop-in tastings and affordable tasting fees

Hot Trend #5: Subscription Clubs

So there is always something to learn from others doing well. Here’s what I think about T2’s “trendiness” quotient:

#1: We have always been meeting consumers where they are. We visit about 25 neighborhood wine walks every year, and we pour at a variety of wine shops and groceries. This is always lots of fun for me and Anne, especially when we can do this together. We meet lots of people and get to talk a lot about our wine and winemaking experience.

#2: Ditto from above, and in the tasting room. Anne and I are usually there together, and we sometimes get help from loyal wine club members when we are both tied up or out of town.

#3: So, the photo for this “trend” is goat yoga. I’ll file that away under “gimmicks”. We’ve looked for more “wine related” pairings to make things interesting, such as blending trials, making pizza, Octoberfest theme, cheese-pairing classes, growler fills of keg wines, kegs for your home wine tap!

#4: We have always welcomed drop in tastings, and kept our fees affordable – no winery in the Seattle area has a lower tasting fee, or a lower purchase threshold to reduce the fee. $15 to $5 with purchase (and waived with multiple bottle purchase). This article mentions some Napa wineries only charging $45! No mention of reduced fee with purchase of their $85 Merlot. We have always wanted our wines to be affordable, and our tasting fees to be fair and inviting.

#5: T2 has considered offering a subscription club. Stay tuned, and tell us if you have an idea how you would like this to look.

I’m going to throw in and additional trend, #6: Avoid the pretentiousness; we have never wanted to be Chateau Haut e Ness. We are not comfortable with that. It is not us. We take wine seriously, which we believe is important to producing consistently excellent wine, but that is enough. Our brand and our logo is straightforward to reflect this ideal. You, the consumer, are the winner here. You are paying for wine, that’s it. No expensive packaging, no expensive ad campaign, no snob tax. And sorry, no goat yoga...