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Smart thinking for wine brands that want to grow. From practical marketing strategies to bold takes on industry trends, our blog shares what’s working, what’s not, and what’s next in wine DTC. No nonsense. No filler. Just honest insights from the agency trusted by wineries around the world.
It’s no secret that the wine industry is in the middle of a rough patch. Consumer behavior is shifting. Younger generations aren’t picking up wine like we expected. Sales are sluggish. And while the internet is full of “hot takes” about what to do next, most of them overlook a basic truth: You can’t market…
Continue reading Why Wineries Hire Fractional CMOs Instead of Marketing Staff
Every time I see a wine marketing agency gush about how the future of winery websites is all about flashy animations, bold colors, and maximalist design trends, I can’t help but cringe. The internet isn’t a toy—it’s a tool, a tool that needs to work as hard as you do. At 5forests, we’ve spent the…
Continue reading The #1 Winery Website Trend for 2025
Why Wineries Need Better Marketing Briefs Editor’s note: What follows is a full transcript of our video, “How to Write a Winery Digital Marketing Brief That Works.” It has been lightly formatted for clarity, but all content reflects the original recording. In a digital landscape where every detail counts, the difference between a successful marketing…
Continue reading How to Write a Winery Digital Marketing Brief That Works
Here’s a familiar scenario: a winery hires a marketing agency, months of work go by, and then the project falls flat. That’s where we often come in—called in to untangle what went wrong and set things back on track. And let me say, we’re sympathetic to both sides. Agencies generally want to do great work,…
Continue reading How To Find a Wine Marketing Company You’re Sure to Love
The PESTEL framework—which stands for Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal factors—is a comprehensive tool for analyzing the macro-environmental influences that affect business operations. A PESTEL analysis helps organizations identify external factors that could impact their performance both negatively or positively. By systematically examining each element, businesses can develop strategies to leverage opportunities and…
Continue reading PESTEL Factors and Their Impact on Business: An In-Depth Analysis
The wine industry loves a good acronym, and today, I want to talk about one that gets tossed around in strategy circles and LinkedIn comments but often overlooked when things get “real”: PESTEL. Politics, Economics, Social, Technology, Environment, and Legal factors—each one capable of changing the course of our business with a single policy announcement…
Continue reading Why PESTEL Matters (Yes, Even in Wine)
As influencer marketing for wineries evolve, brands face high stakes in balancing authentic engagement with strict compliance. Here’s what every winery needs to know.
Continue reading The New Rules of Influencer Marketing for Wineries
We live in a time when everyone’s got an idea. Scroll through LinkedIn or sit through any conference, and you’ll hear countless grand visions and brilliant plans of how to change the world of wine. I see people get caught up in the fantasy of what could be—building castles in the sky with no foundation.…
Continue reading Ideas Are Cheap
In this episode of Headtraining, Polly talks about the common mistakes wine brands make with their email marketing campaigns and how to avoid them. From prioritizing social media over email to missing mobile optimization, she dives into practical tips and strategies that can transform your email marketing game. If you’ve been struggling to make the…
Continue reading Email Marketing Mistakes Wine Brands Should Stop Making
If you’re in the wine business, you know that creating exceptional wine is just half the battle. Getting it into the right hands? That’s where a wine marketing agency comes in. But with so many agencies claiming to be wine marketing experts, how do you find the best wine marketing agency for your needs? Obviously,…
Continue reading How Do I Find the Best Wine Marketing Agency for My Winery?
What makes a great winery website? If only we had a dime for everytime we were asked that question! The truth is, it’s a moving target—we are constantly learning, revising, and improving our own knowledge of websites as platforms change, capabilities, change, heck, even the internet changes! A great winery website isn’t a static thing;…
Continue reading What Makes a Great Winery Website?
I’ll begin by saying, I appreciate the sentiment behind “Come Over October.” On paper, it’s a beautiful idea—leaning into the communal aspect of wine, encouraging people to come together and celebrate, and emphasizing that wine has historically been about more than just the liquid in the glass. It’s about connection, friendship, and those moments that…
Continue reading What Do I Think About Come Over October?