Summertime in a Glass

New Organization Promotes Sauvignon Blanc

Sunol, CA – After months in the works, Summertime in a Glass (SIAG) is now officially running. The group seeks to promote, educate and entertain both wine enthusiasts and the industry itself about Sauvignon Blanc. The group takes an advocacy stance promoting Sauvignon Blanc within the wine industry as well as to fans of the grape through targeted activities, marketing campaigns, information and events. “We are modeled on groups such as the Rhone Rangers or P.S. I Love You, to a certain degree” said Bryan Dias, SIAG Executive Director. “But we are also unique in certain ways, too.”

“We try to emphasize the approachability and social nature of wine and Sauv Blanc, in particular. It’s not a food-only wine. It can make a great porch wine, too,” he continued. “It pairs great with a variety of traditional and non-traditional foods, but can be excellent by itself, chilled on a warm day.”

“We try and not take things too seriously and we want to make it fun, informative and useful,” he continued. “Too often wine can be seen as a mystery or as elitist. We want to make it accessible and familiar. Sauv Blanc is a great varietal to be a vehicle for that.”

The group is emphasizing its web presence and social media campaigns to achieve their goal of spreading the word on the world of Sauvignon Blanc. “We are trying to build a, largely, virtual community of Sauv Blanc fans and industry folks. We want to be a one-stop shop for information ranging from wine reviews to pairing ideas to industry-driven topics such as winegrowing and winemaking,” said Dias.

“For example, we want to connect folks in the industry so that they can discuss vinicultural and viticultural practices, sales and marketing ideas, and share the best approaches or solutions to issues that some may be encountering in the vineyard, cellar, or tasting room,” he continued.

The idea was hatched when Dias, who is also the Principal Consultant for Dias Associates Consulting, a wine industry consulting firm, was working with a client, the Lake County Winegrape Commission, in 2011. The varietal was laboring in the marketplace and, as the second largest grown grape in Lake County, behind Cabernet Sauvignon, many growers were struggling. “I helped the commission put on a Sauvignon Blanc grower workshop in the summer of 2011. There was a lot of talk about how the grape wasn’t as in demand as before and the price being paid per ton was very low. There was a lot of hand-wringing, to be sure.”

From there, Dias came up with an initial outline and brand concept then sought input from various members of the Sauvignon Blanc community in the North Coast. A grant was subsequently submitted to the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, administered by California Department of Food and Agriculture in California. Approval came in late 2012 and this helped to get things going. “It’s been a bit of a slow process thus far trying to get our website going, building a social media presence, and such.” Dias noted. “But, we are starting to hit on all cylinders now.”

Summertime in a Glass has put together an advisory board that boasts experts in various areas of the industry. They are building a contributor network of those interested in submitting content, such as wine reviews, to bolster their effort. They are now, also, accepting charter members from the wine industry into the organization.

“A significant part of what we do is promote our members’ efforts – events, new Sauvignon Blanc releases, awards, growers who have the varietal for sale, etc. and put it out there, be it to enthusiasts or within the industry,” said Dias. “We make our active social media channels, website postings and that sort of thing available to our members for this purpose. As the organization grows, we will engage in larger marketing campaigns under the ‘Summertime in a Glass’ banner in order to put our members at the forefront of the world of the varietal.”

SIAG makes its branded image available to members to use in co-branded efforts, such as on hang-tags, shelf-talkers and other collateral. Soon, they will be hosting workshops for industry members to network and discuss relevant topics to the industry including how best to promote the varietal in the marketplace. An enthusiast membership concept is also in the works that will allow member businesses to directly connect with self-identified Sauvignon Blanc consumers.

The idea is to make a connection on a large scale between wine industry members and enthusiasts. “As much of our initial efforts were based in California, that is where most of the focus was at the beginning. However, we are trying to be more global in nature, connecting folks around the world who enjoy or work with Sauvignon Blanc,” Dias said. “With our strong brand image, web and social media presence, and a great core of people, we think we are primed to do just that.”

More info:

Contact: media@summertimeinaglass.org or call Bryan Dias at 510-396-7276

SIAG is actively recruiting charter members, giving them a chance to get in on the ground floor and shape the organization.

More can be seen at:

Membership info: membership@summertimeinaglass.org

Website: www.summertimeinaglass.org

Social Media Channels & further information can be seen at:

SIAG is also looking for contributors interested in providing content such as wine reviews, viticulture and viniculture topics, sales and marketing, tasting/pairing ideas and more. Contributor network guidelines are available upon request.