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June 2018 WINES&VINES 63 TASTING ROOM FOCUS Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates Market Research for the Wine Industry Products include: • The Gomberg-Fredrikson Report: "The Executive Marketing Report of the Wine Industry" • WineData Wine Pricing Report: Competitive supplier pricing for more than 13,400 products • Distributor Market Service: Gain a competitive advantage by analyzing your position in the wholesale market www.gfawine.com • 707.940.3922 • inquiry@gfawine.com We perform extensive market research and data collection to create the wine industry's leading databases and reports annually in Santa Barbara County. "Are they stocking the shelves and hoping for the best? No. When you go in, it's about interaction, learning, and discovery, with people on hand to guide the experience. There's a sense of community and excitement. What we've done at Fess Parker and what I think can work across the board is to bring those concepts to the consumer now." Snider, who's been with family-owned and operated Fess Parker for almost 20 years, dis- cussed how the company has evolved its tast- ing room experience since opening 30 years ago. "We do have a traditional bar, and we'll pour wine and staff will educate. But as we've added new spaces, experiences and opportuni- ties, the majority of our guests are gravitating to these other experiences." The similarity to successful retailers like Apple, he says, is a focus on education, discov- ery and learning. One such space, Snider said, is the tasting room for sister brand, Epiphany Cellars, where the bar has been augmented by "a whole new tasting room format that's seated, interactive, and education-based." And in another sister space for Addendum Wines, seated tastings are the only option. "They're focused on education, discovery, and learning. They're fun, interactive, exciting, and they've done very, very well." The emphasis on education extends first and foremost to staff, Snider said, citing the introductory certification of eight tasting room attendants with the Court of Master Somme- liers, as well as several others at levels 1 and 2. "If our staff can speak intelligently about Puligny-Montrachet in the context of Chardon- nay in the Sta. Rita Hills as well, they'll be better equipped to deliver a learning experi- ence for our guests." Jaime Lewis is a wine and food writer based in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Her work has appeared in Edible, Som- melier Journal and Tasting Panel Magazine.