At small premium wineries, sales and marketing are a big (yet often times unspoken) part of a winemaker’s job. While we know that our wine is unique and quality driven because of our chosen winemaking processes, the northern California marketplace is saturated with wineries claiming the same things, making the market extremely competitive. It is simply not enough to create great wine. The harder part of the job requires that we constantly think of new ways to sell our wine, communicate our story, and find ways to have an edge on marketing our wines.  As a result, we have redesigned the Winterhawk label in order to establish a more branded image and name. The introduction of the new Winterhawk label will be made at our  2008 Sauvignon blanc release party at Winterhawk Winery on Saturday July 18, 2009. I look forward to everyone’s comments regarding the new package and our pioneering efforts in applying the Fish Friendly Farming certification on the back label. It’s a first not only for Winterhawk, but for the wine industry in California!