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 WinefestJuly 21, 2012

Steamboat Wine FestivalAugust 2-5,2012

Colorado Mountain Winefest – PalisadeSeptember 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 FestivalSept 14-15, 2012

Missouri Food & Wine FestivalSept 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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