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Listed below is the complete listing of our news stories. To view a story please click on a link below. VIENNA, Md. - When most people think of vineyards and wineries in America, they think of Napa Valley in California or the Finger lakes region in upstate New York, not the Eastern Shore of Maryland. A farming family in Dorchester County is looking to change that perception. Layton's Chance Vineyard and Winery held a ribbon-cutting on May 21, and had special grand opening hours for visitors on Memorial Day weekend. The family felt that growing grapes would help them keep up with their competition, and they're getting some help from colleges to do so. Wine Adviser In tough times, wineries turn to creative marketing, discounts Tough times have pushed wineries and restaurants to get creative about everything from bottling to marketing, and many have come up with new strategies to build customer loyalty. Among their efforts are a lot of discounting, some production changes to make more of their popular wines and cut back on more expensive stuff, and decisions to stay closer to home, keeping the mom-and-pop nature of the business. Wild Ginger/Triple Door wine director Jake Kosseff has examined the huge wine list, which includes thousands of wines, and concluded that by sharply reducing prices on many wines, the restaurants will actually earn more money through a modest percentage gain in total wine sales. The new approach is a win for both customers and the business. "People get excited about something that also helps the restaurant," says Kosseff. "It's hard not to be a hero." At Walla Walla's Isenhower Cellars, owners Brett and Denise Isenhower have cut loose from their distribution network. In an unusually revealing e-mail to their customers, Brett Isenhower explained the harsh realities of wine sales and marketing for boutique operations, and concluded that "with three young girls that I want to help raise and without the bank backing us up . . . I decided to keep Isenhower Cellars a Mom and Pop winery." Among the benefits are far less travel, more one-on-one contact with customers, and higher profit margins. Trio Vintners, another Walla Walla boutique, is adding new options to its wine club, offering discounts ranging from 10 to 25 percent, depending upon the amount of wine a member orders. Many wineries are putting more effort into their everyday wines — popular and widely available blends such as Dunham's Three Legged Red, Dusted Valley's Boomtown series, Rulo's Syrca, Saviah's The Jack, Tamarack's Firehouse and Thurston Wolfe's PGV. Others are rolling out entire lines of value wines, such as the Eliseo Silva wines from Tagaris, the impressive new lineup from Hyatt vineyards and the Cask series from Silver Lake. ENLARGE Stephen Reustle, owner and winemaker at Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyard of Umpqua, shows off the wines that earned gold medals at the recent Riverside International Wine Competition. Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyard was named the Small Winery of the Year at the 29th annual event. Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyard, entered in the small winery division, earned some big-time recognition at the recent Riverside International Wine Competition. The 35-acre Reustle vineyard and winery of Umpqua, owned and operated by Stephen and Gloria Reustle, was named the Small Winery of the Year at the 29th annual event in Southern California. Glen Knight, Los Angeles-based salesman and domestic wine buyerfor the L.A.-based The Wine House, had some blunt advice for thosemaking and selling Napa Valley wines at a recent seminar. Knight said his customers, who typically are age 21 to 38, donot perceive Napa Valley as a value brand. Instead they’re buyingwines from Italy and Southern France, which sell for $10 to $25 abottle and buying imported spirits. In 2008, the store tore out its beer section and replaced itwith a section for liquor. “Only two departments were up in 2009,”Knight said, “Wines from Italy and liquor. For the first quarter of2010, California wine sales are up, but they’re still discounted.”His customers, he claims, won’t spend $200 for a bottle of wine,but will spend $200 for a single malt whiskey. “Our customers are still buying Napa wine, but they’re notbuying cases of it, but bottles of it for a special occasion,”Knight said. In response to a question about his store being receptive to newwineries, Knight said: “It’s hard for me to support new wineries.I’ll taste the wine, but won’t sell it, because I’m dealing withpeople I’ve been supporting for 10-15 years.” Knight has worked forThe Wine House, established by his father, Bill Knight, for thepast 13 years. Wine and Spirits / The new Yogev line is just fine for your Binyamina days - and nights Binyamina Wineries has just added Yogev, a new series of wines, to their repertoire and as a tip of the cap to the vintners, each bottle's label lists the growers and vineyards that supplied the grapes. Binyamina Wineries has just added Yogev, a new series of wines, to their repertoire and as a tip of the cap to the vintners, each bottle's label lists the growers and vineyards that supplied the grapes. Consisting of four wines - one white, one rose and two reds - the series is aimed at both those just starting to become involved with wine and those who already consider themselves sophisticated drinkers. The series succeeds quite well in this, as both groups will find these wines well made, soft, round and easy to approach and match to food, despite their youth.
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