Thoughts on wine, marketing, and the business of both — from a self-professed wine nerd in Napa.
Every good cellar keeps notes. This is mine — a running record of what I'm tasting, thinking, and observing across the worlds of wine and wine marketing. New posts drop on Substack; they live here, too.
Lessons from the 2026 SVB Direct-to-Consumer Wine Report Every year, the wine industry eagerly awaits the temperature check that is the Silicon Valley Bank Direct-to-Consumer Wine Report. This year’s edition arrives at a moment when the industry is exhausted, cautious, and searching for answers. The headline is this: the steepest part of the downturn appears to be behind us. The data shows that there has been some stabilization. But stabilization is not recovery. And before a
Overcoming the fear of putting myself out there There’s a particular irony in being a marketer who struggles to market herself. I’ve spent the last two years building a business helping wine brands tell their stories, connect with their customers, and show up consistently in the market. And yet when it comes to doing the same for myself — I freeze. I know I have a lot to offer. I’ve built a solid roster of clients, and I genuinely love the work. But I’ll confess that I’ve bee
Marketing Isn’t Just Digital I’ve been doing a lot of writing about digital marketing and its intersection with hospitality. And the great irony of this post is that I actually prefer to write with a pen and paper. Most of my posts start as scribbles in a notebook, then get transcribed and cleaned up for publication. As marketers in today’s modern digital age, we are often so focused on the digital that it’s easy to forget about the other spheres. And quite frankly, it’s also
aliyemelton
The cellar goes deeper than you think
More on wine, marketing, and the business of both — waiting for you on Substack.
.png)
.png)
