Meet Me at Brunch

Most wineries are under-communicating with their best customers. This episode is about fixing that.

Hugh and Nick break down why regular phone calls to wine club members are one of the most effective ways to reduce churn and drive loyalty. Backed by real campaigns and first-hand stories from the Brunch Direct team, they cover what to say, how to say it, and why it works. It’s practical, simple and makes so much sense. If you’re ready to re-engage your club members and boost long-term value, this is where to start.

What We Cover
• Why phone calls still work
• How to use member conversations to shape your marketing
• Real-life examples of customer loyalty in action
• Why calls aren’t just about selling, they’re about connection
• Tips to build trust, avoid attrition, and turn passive members into active buyers
• How Brunch Direct supports wineries with phone campaigns that feel personal

All Links & Resources
🍷 Download your Member Retention Guide right here
📝 Access all our Free Resources here
📞 Want to chat through your winery’s email strategy? Book a free consult with us here
🌐 Visit us at brunchagency.com
📸 Follow us on Instagram
🔗 Connect with us on LinkedIn

Email marketing doesn’t have to be overwhelming. If you’ve ever stared at your subscriber list wondering what to send next, this one’s for you.

Maddy sits down with Caster and Ben from Klaviyo to unpack what makes email such a powerful channel for wineries in 2025. They cover how to build and grow your list, what automations to start with, and how to create emails your customers want to open. Whether you’re just starting out or cleaning up what you’ve already built, it’s full of practical advice you can use right away.
 

What we cover:
• The difference between a list, a tag, and a segment (and why it matters)
• The one mistake almost every winery is making
• Smart automations you can set and forget
• How to personalise your email marketing (without losing your mind)
• Why one-size-fits-all campaigns are killing your engagement
• How to grow your list with better incentives and less friction
• What flows to set up first — and what to test over time
• Using Klaviyo as a CRM, not just an email tool
• Our take on how often to email, what to say, and what to stop doing

All Links & Resources
📝 Access all our Free Resources here
📞 Want to chat through your winery’s email strategy? Book a free consult with us here
🌐 Visit us at brunchagency.com
📸 Follow us on Instagram
🔗 Connect with us on LinkedIn

In this episode, we’re looking back... and looking forward.

Brunch just turned five, so Char, Kip and John are sharing how the agency began, what we’ve learned along the way, and where we’re headed next. They walk through everything from our beginnings as 'We are Toast' to acquiring VinoDirect and opening our Chicago office. It’s an honest look at what it takes to build a wine marketing agency from scratch, and what’s coming next for wineries selling direct-to-consumer.

What we cover:

• The story behind how Brunch started
• Key moments that shaped the agency’s first five years
• The growth of Brunch Direct and our US expansion
• What we’ve learned from working with 150+ wineries
• Why DTC phone sales still work... and what sets them apart
• What’s changing in winery eCommerce, email and digital
• What we see coming next for the industry

🧠 More free winery resources: https://linktr.ee/brunch.agency
📞 Want to talk about your DTC strategy? Book a free strategy call

Subscribe to Meet Me at Brunch for practical wine marketing insights from the team at Brunch Agency. We help wineries across Australia, NZ and the US sell more wine, direct to consumer, through websites, email, phone sales and digital strategy.

What makes a winery’s social media actually work? In this episode, Kate (CMO), Maddy (Head of Marketing), and Amber (Senior Account Manager) take a closer look at what drives results on platforms like Instagram and Facebook, and what doesn’t. From common mistakes to strategic wins, they walk through what it takes to build a consistent, engaging, and on-brand presence. 

It’s everything wineries need to know to start showing up better online, build stronger brand connections, and set themselves up for long-term success on social.

What we cover:

• Common mistakes wineries make (and how to avoid them)
• The power of planning — and how to create content pillars
• Quick wins for boosting engagement
• Platform-by-platform tips: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and more
• What content the algorithm actually wants
• How to use music, video, captions, and hashtags effectively
• The role of user-generated content
• When it’s time to invest in paid social — and what to do first

🎧 Grab our free Social Media Playbook from this episode, and explore more practical resources via our Linktree.

All Links & Resources

• 💻 Grab your free  Social Media Playbook here!
• 📝 Access our Free Resources here
• 📞 Want to talk through your winery’s digital strategy? Book a no-obligation chat
• 🌐 Visit us at brunchagency.com
• 📸 Follow us on Instagram
• 🔗 Connect on LinkedIn
   

Featured wine: Block 7 Chardonnay from Briar Ridge, Orange NSW.

Next Episode

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Wine trends are changing fast, and staying on top of what’s in (and what’s out) is key to staying relevant.

In this episode, John and Nick break down what’s hot right now, what styles are slipping, and what wineries should be doing to connect with today’s wine drinkers. They explore everything from shifting varietal preferences and consumer habits to the rise of DTC loyalty programs, evolving cellar door experiences, and why channel strategy matters more than ever.

It’s a fast-paced, practical chat with takeaways you can act on straight away, plus a mystery Pinot Noir to keep things interesting.

What we cover:

• The macro trend: people are drinking less, but better
• Why light-bodied reds and alternate varietals are on the rise
• Where Pet Nat and Rosé are heading (spoiler: not up)
• Smart DTC practices and why segmentation is critical
• How wineries are adapting cellar doors into tourism destinations
• The growing importance of eCommerce and user-friendly tech
• Marketing tips for attracting younger drinkers

Featured Wine: Hungerford Hill Underground Pinot Noir, 2021, Tumburumba

Links & Resources

• 🎥 Watch the video on our YouTube channel
• 📚 Grab your free copy of our top ten marketing tips here
• 📞 Want to talk through your direct-to-consumer strategy? Book a chat here
• 🌐 Visit us at brunchagency.com
• 📸 Follow us on Instagram
• 🔗 Connect on LinkedIn

Welcome back to Meet Me at Brunch. This week, we’re diving into winery websites, what works, what doesn’t, and how to ensure yours is converting visitors into customers.

Kate (CMO), Laura (E-commerce Project Manager), and Brunch Co-Founder Kip break down everything from site structure to SEO, sharing exactly what a great digital experience looks like and the common mistakes we see too often.

🍷 Featured wine: Il Briccone Shiraz Sangiovese 2023

In this episode:

• What makes a winery website effective
• How to structure your homepage for conversions
• Why the first fold matters most
• Mobile-first design and load speed tips
• How to create product pages that sell
• Booking experience best practice for cellar doors
• SEO 101 — meta tags, keywords, and common traps
• What “alt tags” are and why they matter
• Long-tail keywords and internal linking
• Abandoned cart flows and welcome series 101
• Easy CTAs to add today
• Heat maps, user testing, and the “Mum Test”

Links & Resources

• 📝 Access our free resources here
• 📞 Want to talk through your winery’s digital strategy? Book a no-obligation chat
• 🌐 Visit us at brunchagency.com
• 📸 Follow us on Instagram
• 🔗 Connect on LinkedIn

Next Episode

We’re back next week with John and Nick for a Great Wine Chat all about what’s hot and what’s not in 2025. From styles and regions to shifting consumer behaviours, we’ll be unpacking the trends that are shaping the wine world this year, and the ones on their way out.

Your customers have questions,  and some of them are weird, wonderful, and delightfully insightful. In this Great Wine Chat, our Brunch Direct team (Bronte, Lachie and Adam) share the most memorable things consumers have asked them over the phone, from vintage quirks to tasting notes to asking what Lachie was wearing (yes, really). This episode dives into what today’s wine consumer really wants to know, and how direct conversations can build trust, connection and long-term loyalty.

If you’re a winery with a wine club, cellar door, or an email list, there’s something here for you.

What We Cover

• Why great wine conversations start with good listening
• The value of tasting the wine before selling it
• Why painting a picture (think: food matches and picnic scenes) helps people buy
• How direct sales campaigns work best when paired with cellar door connections
• How wine preferences shift with time and why keeping in touch matters
• What consumers want to know, from vintage to varietal to vegan-friendly
• How building relationships turns customers into loyal advocates
• The impact of cellar door experiences... good and bad

Featured Wine
Mount Avoca Estate Shiraz

Links & Resources

Links & Resources

• 📝 Free Resource: 10 Quick Wins for Wineries
• 📞 Want to talk through your winery’s digital strategy? Book a no-obligation chat
• 🌐 Visit us at brunchagency.com
• 📸 Follow us on Instagram
• 🔗 Connect on LinkedIn📞 Want to talk through your direct-to-consumer strategy? Book a chat with us

Next Episode 
Laura, Kip and KB talk through the essentials of a high-converting winery website. If your site isn’t helping you sell wine, this one’s for you.

Welcome to the very first episode of Meet Me at Brunch. In this chat, Maddy (Head of Marketing) and Hugh (Business Development Manager) talk through the basics of digital marketing for wineries — what it actually is, why it matters, and how to get started without feeling overwhelmed.

You’ll hear about what’s working right now in the DTC wine space, what’s changed since COVID, and what wineries need to prioritise if they want to cut through the noise online. From quick wins to big-picture thinking, this episode covers a lot — and it’s all designed to be actionable straight away.
 

What we cover

• What “digital marketing” really means for wineries
• The biggest mistakes we see every day
• Why your website might be hurting your sales
• What makes a healthy add-to-cart ratio
• Simple changes you can make to see instant results
• How SMS can reduce database fatigue
• Why automations matter (and which ones you need first)
• The importance of your Google Business Profile
• Why DTC is more than just an online store — and what to do about it
   

Quick Wins for Wineries

To make things even easier, we’ve created a free resource to go with this episode:

👉 10 Quick Wins for Wineries to Boost Their Digital Marketing

Featured wine

David Hook Chardonnay 2023. Thanks to David and Sherry for the delicious bottle.
 

Links & Resources

• 📝 Free Resource: 10 Quick Wins for Wineries
• 📞 Want to talk through your winery’s digital strategy? Book a no-obligation chat
• 🌐 Visit us at brunchagency.com
• 📸 Follow us on Instagram
• 🔗 Connect on LinkedIn

Next Episode

Our Brunch Direct team are up next, sharing the weirdest, wildest, and most insightful wine questions consumers ask. Get ready to hear what your customers are really thinking.