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MARCH NEWS Headlines NEWS BYTES New home for 14 Hands S te. Michelle Wine Estates announced it would move production of its popu- lar 14 Hands Vineyards wine brand into a winery in Prosser, Wash., replacing Washington Industry Implements Strategy Snoqualmie Vineyards, which will move to a facility in Paterson, Wash. One of the fastest growing brands in the nation, 14 Hands in 2012 recorded 1 mil- State Wine Commission shifts focus to media, trade S restaurants in the Northwest. Trinchero expanding IN Lodi K risten M arie P T rinchero Family Estates is planning a $300 million, three-year expansion of its Westside Winery in Lodi, Calif., to support its Sutter Home, Trinity Oaks and hotography eattle, Wash.���A year after announcing the appointment of Steve Warner as its new executive director, the Washington State Wine Commission is pushing ahead with a new five-year strategic plan. Officially adopted in May 2012, the plan coincides with changes Washington wineries face as retailers adapt to privatization of the state���s liquor business. While retailers spend a greater share of advertising dollars on spirits (formerly the prerogative of the state), the state group���s four-pillar strategic plan squarely targets trade and media for promotional efforts rather than consumers. ���We made a strategic decision to shift our focus away from consumers and focus on trade and media,��� Warner told Wines & Vines. ���It���s basically simple math: If we influence 100 consumers, we influence 100 people. If we influence 100 key influencers or key media and trade, it could be magnified 10-, 100-fold, 1,000-fold.��� Trade and media activities represent 92% of the commission���s $1.9 million marketing budget. The $1.75 million wooing of trade and media makes sense to Marty Clubb, owner of L���Ecole No 41 and president of the Washington Wine Institute, which has been watching the changes in the state���s liquor business closely. ���The market���s still adjusting to the competitive environment,��� Clubb said. Warner added that promotion of the state���s wines would also happen through arrangements with groups such as Visit Seattle (Seattle���s Convention and Visitors Bureau), with which it���s working on the annual event Taste Washington in March. Visit Seattle manages Taste Washington, which draws more than 3,000 food and lion cases shipped in the United States. It was first released in 2005 to just a few The Washington State Wine Commission is working with tourism groups on events such as Taste Washington (above). wine enthusiasts each year, allowing the wine commission to focus on raising the industry���s profile among trade and media attending the seminars and other industry events throughout the weekend. Visit Seattle���s involvement also reflects the strategic plan���s focus on fostering wine tourism. Other pillars of the plan include strengthening in- winesandvines.com dustry unity and Learn more: Search keywords supporting educa���Washington strategy.��� tion and research. Warner, who spearheaded the plan���s development, is keen to see its implementation. He said the plan���s success depends on it being embraced and acted upon. ���A lot of it just comes down to the focus and the discipline on the implementation,��� he said. ���It���s a great product: It���s Washington state wine.��� Warner candidly admits that his own palate is still developing, but through regular meetings with the state���s post-secondary schools and industry representatives���and courses in Walla Walla, Wash.���he���s cultivating the relationships and knowledge to effectively advocate for the industry. ���Peter Mitham M��nage �� Trois brands. Expansion plans winesandvines.com include more tank Learn more: space and a larger Search keyword ���Trinchero Lodi.��� bottling and distri- bution center. CEO Roger Trinchero told the audience at a Lodi growers and vintners event that he expects the company���s production to grow to 30 million cases in the next decade. The company is shifting the bulk of its production to Lodi from its winery in Napa Valley. Pomar Junction doubles estate D ana Merrill, owner of Mesa Vineyard Management and Pomar Junction Vineyard & Winery, purchased the former estate vineyard winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keyword ���Pomar Weyrich.��� of the now defunct Martin and Weyrich Winery. The addition of the 278-acre property near Templeton, Calif., doubles Pomar Junction���s estate vineyards to more than 180 acres. Merrill said he is evaluating the soil and layout of an additional 60 acres for further planting. Pomar Junction produces 6,000 cases per year. Win es & Vines M A RC H 20 13 13