How Sonoma Wineries Are Meeting Today's Challenge

Amidst the gloom and doom surrounding the wine business – and incessantly repeated in the press – some wineries are taking aggressive actions to insure they survive to thrive.

• Anaba Wines (Sonoma) and DeLoach Vineyards (Santa Rosa) are lowering tasting fees, offering free wine flights during certain hours.
• Some are offering free wine flights during certain hours.
• In addition to formal guided tastings, some wineries are offering immersive activities and casual visits that encourage social connection.
• Dancing Wines regularly hosts events in New York, Connecticu and Los Angeles. The winery does not have a tasting room. One such event: "Sip & Scent" incorporates the winery's line of vineyard-inspired fragrances. Priced at $120 for 50 ml bottles or a discovery scent with 5-ml vials for $26, the fragrances are a three-product collection to encapsulate the essence of their vineyard: Gnarly Vines, Scorched Wood and Midnight Crush.
• Oakland Wine Co., Healdsburg, offers jazz-based entertainment.
• Pax Wines offers $25 wines in addition to pricier, single vineyard selections. “I always tell my customers that for every $75 bottle of Syrah I drink,” Pax Mahle, founder, says, “I probably drink 10 bottles of $25 crispy white wine.”