Do You Want Your Winery to Survive or Crush It? Get Involved.

You're crazy busy! Buried in vineyard work, managing staff, planning events, stressing about DTC numbers, yadda, yadda. So is everyone.

Staying hyper-focused on your own business or your defined job role can become a trap. If you’re not intentionally carving out time to engage with the rest of the wine industry—associations, vendors, consultants, educators, and communities—you’re not growing. You’re just surviving.

1. Online Wine Communities Are Where the Real Talk Happens

Instagram is great for aesthetics. But real conversations about solving problems? Those happen in groups, forums, meetups, and niche online circles.

These communities can be a place where people swap ideas for selling wine over text, dissect new tasting room strategies, and trade horror stories so you don’t have to learn the hard way.

No one has time for guesswork anymore. Online groups give you a direct line to what’s working now, not what worked in 2015. Check out TheWineProGrapevine.

2. Associations Are More Than Dues and Newsletters

Yeah, it’s easy to see your local or state wine association as just another fee you pay. But the truth is, these orgs are often your front-row seat to legislation updates, export opportunities, research studies, grants, and marketing campaigns you can actually use.

Show up. Ask questions. Join the board. Associations are where decisions are made and where new ideas get traction. If you're not in the room, you're not in the conversation.

3. Vendors Are Basically Your R&D Department

Packaging companies, POS systems, label printers, logistics providers—these aren’t just salespeople. They’re often on the front lines of what’s coming next in wine commerce, tech, and logistics.

The vendors you ignore might be beta testing something that will change the way wine is sold, shipped, or experienced. If you’re not asking, you’re not learning—and you’re giving your competition a head start.

Instead of treating vendors as something to avoid, go to their booth at a tradeshow or take their call and ask them what they’re working on. Ask what trends they’re seeing. Ask what’s getting traction. Listening doesn't mean you have to purchase. Check out TheWineProMarketplace with virtual tradeshow booth videos.

4. Education Is the Most Underrated Sales Tool

When’s the last time you took a class or watched an expert panel?

Whether it’s marketing psychology, email strategy, sales negotiation, or hospitality leadership—there are countless courses, webinars, and workshops designed to make you (and your team) better at running a wine business.

Face it, the people crushing it in wine industry are the ones who are looking for, and watching, those webinars or Zoom course about AI in wine sales. Keep learning or risk getting left behind. Check out TheWineProPanel series, where experts give advice and ideas that can shape the industry.

5. The Industry Moves Fast—You Can’t Afford to Be the Last to Know

If your strategy is “wait until someone tells me,” you’re already behind.

The brands that thrive are the ones who make time to pay attention to what’s happening outside their walls, because that’s where the opportunities are. Whether it’s a new compliance loophole, tasting program trends, or a vendor quietly solving your biggest pain point—it won’t land in your lap. You have to go find it. AND you have to live it by putting it into practice.

The Bottom Line

Winery success isn’t just about making great wine. It’s about staying plugged into the larger ecosystem that powers this industry. So make the time to get involved. Join the online group. Watch a webinar. Ask your vendors what’s new. Take the class. You have to show up if you want to stay sharp, stay competitive, and stay in business.