Russian River Valley Winegrowers

THE ORGANIZATION'S PRIMARY PURPOSE IS TO FOSTER EDUCATION AND APPRECIATION OF WINE GRAPES AND WINE PRODUCED IN THE RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY APPELLATION.

COMMITTEE EVENTS WHILE COVID-19 IMPACTED OUR COMMITTEES AND THE ABILITY TO MEET IN PERSON, WE WERE ABLE TO HOST OUR COMMITTEES VIRTUALLY.DTC-OUR DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER SUB-COMMITTEE REMAINED ACTIVE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, AS WINERIES PIVOTED THEIR BUSINESS TO A REMOTE FORMAT, THEN TO IN-PERSON TASTINGS WITH MANY RESTRICTIONS, THEN BACK TO REMOTE AGAIN. DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER AND HOSPITALITY PROFESSIONALS WERE ABLE TO LEARN TOGETHER AS WE ALL ADJUSTED OUR BUSINESSES THROUGH THE CHALLENGES OF 2020.NEIGHBORHOODS COMMITTEE MET MONTHLY AND CONTINUED THE WORK OF THE YEAR PLANNING FOR OUTSIDE EVENTS (PRIOR TO COVID), VIRTUAL TASTINGS AND THE NEIGHBORHOODS SERIES ON STEVE JAXON. DESPITE THE PANDEMIC, THE NEIGHBORHOODS COMMITTEE CONTINUED TO WORK ON ITS NEIGHBORHOODS WHITE PAPER THAT ENCOMPASSES DATA FROM THE U.C. DAVIS STUDY AND PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS, INFORMATIONAL PRODUCTS THAT THE NEIGHBORHOODS COMMITTEE PRODUCED OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, AS WELL AS WINEMAKER QUOTATIONS, JOURNAL ARTICLES, AND MEDIA/MARKETING ITEMS. MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE PAPER INCLUDES THE FINAL U.C. DAVIS STUDY RESULTS THAT WERE PUBLISHED IN THE PROFESSIONAL JOURNAL, MOLECULES, THIS YEAR, AS WELL AS A LINK TO A RECENT ARTICLE IN FORBES ONLINE THAT HIGHLIGHTS THE NEIGHBORHOODS PROJECT. WE PLAN TO USE THE PAPER AS A PROPOSAL TO PROMOTE THE RRV NEIGHBORHOODS THROUGH PANELS AND OTHER FORUMS AT PROFESSIONAL WINE INDUSTRY EVENTS.PR COMMITTEE-PRIOR TO COVID-19 A MAJOR FOCUS OF PR AND MEDIA WAS TO PROMOTE OUR TWO PLANNED FLAGSHIP EVENTS: GRAPE TO GLASS AND THE PAULEE DINNER. WE HAD ENGAGED A PR FIRM TO ASSIST WITH PROMOTION THAT WE UNFORTUNATELY HAD TO POSTPONE THE WORK WHEN WE MADE THE HARD DECISION TO CANCEL THE EVENTS DUE TO COVID-19.MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE-2020 STARTED OUT WITH A STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION WITH THE RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY WINEGROWERS BOARD. THE MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE HAD A FULL SLATE OF EVENTS PLANNED FOR 2020 AND WE WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO CREATING NETWORKING AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR GROWER AND WINERY MEMBERS. AS WE ALL KNOW, THE YEAR TOOK A TURN AND WE CANCELED MANY EVENTS AND TURNED OTHERS TO A VIRTUAL FORMAT. WE ALSO RELEASED A SURVEY IN 2020 TO GUIDE OUR PLANS IN 2021 TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE VALUE TO BOTH OUR GROWER AND WINERY MEMBERS.GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS- THE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE MONITORS ISSUES THAT IMPACT GRAPE GROWERS AND WINERIES AND TO SHARE IMPORTANT ISSUES WITH MEMBERS. RECENT TOPICS INCLUDE SONOMA COUNTY VINTNERS INQUIRIES INTO AVA USE OF BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS AND COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION ACTIONS ON WINERY USE PERMITS. THE COMMITTEE MEETS QUARTERLY AND ITEMS OF IMPORTANCE TO MEMBERS ARE HIGHLIGHTED IN THE RRVW NEWSLETTER.EVENTS AND MARKETING- WE STARTED THE YEAR WITH A GREAT LINE-UP OF EVENTS, PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES THAT WERE UNFORTUNATELY SIDELINED DUE TO THE CORONA VIRUS PANDEMIC (COVID-19). COVID-19 HAS PRESENTED NUMEROUS CHALLENGES FOR TOURISM, THE WINE INDUSTRY AND OUR COUNTRY AS A WHOLE. THIS HAS BEEN A YEAR OF UNCHARTERED TERRITORY AND WE LEARNED REALLY FAST THAT WE HAD TO BE NIMBLE IN THE RAPIDLY CHANGING LANDSCAPE.WE HAD TO ADJUST OUR FOCUS TO ACCOMMODATE NEW TOOLS, NEW POLICIES WITH AN UNDERSTANDING THAT THE WINE INDUSTRY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CONDUCT BUSINESS IN THE SAME MANNER THEY HAD PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC WITH NO INFORMATION ON HOW LONG IT WOULD LAST. WE INITIATED ZOOM MEETINGS FOR OUR COMMITTEES, BOARD MEETINGS, CHECK-INS AND EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS. WE POSTPONED ALL OF OUR IN PERSON EVENTS. EDUCATION, INFORMATION AND RESOURCES BECAME A FOCUS WITH THE CONSISTENTLY CHANGING STATE AND LOCAL GUIDELINES.

MEMBER EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT - THE ORGANIZATION HOSTS MEMBER EVENTS TO EDUCATE AND ENGAGE MEMBERS. JANUARY-ANNUAL MEETING (100) MEMBERS ATTENDED OUR ANNUAL MEETING. THE LUNCH PROGRAM FOCUSED ON SHARING INFORMATION ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS, MEMBERS, FINANCIALS AND PRIORITIES FOR 2021. SHARED THE NEW VIDEO THAT WAS PRODUCED FROM WILDLY SIMPLE AND A POWER POINT OUTLINING THE YEAR. MAY-EDUCATIONAL SEMINAR (40) ATTENDEES. TURRENTINE BROKERAGE SHARED THEIR OUTLOOK ON THE CALIFORNIA GRAPE AND BULK WINE MARKET WITH AN INFORMATIVE PRESENTATION WITH MIKE NEEDHAM AND MARK CUNEO. POWER POINT PRESENTATIONS WAS PROVIDED SO THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SHARE WITH OUR MEMBERSHIP. OCTOBER-DTC-SEMINAR BY PETER ALIG BEST PRACTICES IN SOCIAL MEDIA AND EMAIL MARKETING (25) ATTENDEES. WE HAD A DYNAMIC PRESENTATION FROM PETER ALIG, ALIGNMENT WINE MARKETING ON EMAIL MARKETING AND SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIES FOR OUR MEMBERS. OCTOBER-NEIGHBORHOODS TRAIN THE TRAINER WITH ALL SIX NEIGHBORHOODS PRESENTING VIRTUALLY (8 ATTENDEES). THE VIRTUAL TASTING WAS UPLOADED TO YOU TUBE AND THE LANDING PAGE OF THE RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY WEBSITE. TRAINING WILL BE USED TO EDUCATE OUR MEMBERS. NOVEMBER-NEIGHBORHOODS UPDATE (30) ATTENDEES. WE RECEIVED AN UPDATE FROM MIKE SULLIVAN, BOARD PRESIDENT AND CHAIR OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS COMMITTEE. CLARK LYSTRA, 2ND VICE PRESIDENT DISCUSSED THE CONCEPT BEHIND THE WHITE PAPER AND HOW RRVW INTENDS TO USE THE DOCUMENT TO SUPPORT THE WORK AND INTEREST IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS. GIO BALISTRERI DISCUSSED STRATEGIES FOR USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO PROMOTE THE NEIGHBORHOODS, TO ENGAGE CONSUMERS, EDUCATE AND GENERATE INTEREST IN THE WINE PRODUCED.

BRAND RECOGNITION AND EDUCATION- THE ORGANIZATION MANAGES A SIGNAGE PROGRAM THROUGHOUT THE RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY TO HELP PROMOTE AND PROVIDE THE GENERAL PUBLIC WITH DIRECTIONS TO MEMBER WINERIES AND GROWERS.