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Making Friends in the Alexander Valley
White Oak Vineyards and Winery is a living
example of the power of relationship
marketing. The winery does little to no
advertising. Instead it relies on creating
lasting relationships with the guests who
visit while strengthening ties to the larger
wine and hospitality community.
The employees take a sincere interest in
their visitors. They ask about favorite
wines, where the guests live and where
they’re staying while visiting, just as you
would with a new friend in your home.
Director of Hospitality and Tasting Room
Manager Denise Gill says that it’s key to
have enough staff so you have time to
connect with the people, adding to ‘be aware
of their needs, not just keep up with their
needs’.
The team also shares recommendations for
dining, keeping a restaurant book with menus
at hand. This extra level of service makes
the winery a partner in the visitors’
experience and creates a relationship that
goes way beyond that of traditional sales.
White Oak also welcomes children and dogs
with toys, biscuits and a bowl of water. As
Denise puts it, ‘if they’ve made the
decision to travel with their children or
pets, it’s better to make them comfortable
so the parents can enjoy themselves and
focus on the wines. They really appreciate
this’.
Picnics are encouraged as I saw during my
visit. A group of women were enjoying their
lunch at one of the tables under a leafy and
shady oak tree. Beyond the Mediterranean
style buildings and grapevines they had a
priceless view of the Mayacamas Mountains.
While some tasting rooms appear more like
a wine junk bazaar, Denise says, ‘we focus
on wine and minimize the merchandising’. The
mood is relaxed yet elegant. Norah Jones and
other musicians fill the background while
not drowning out the wine.
The experience is enhanced by a rotating art
exhibition to take in while tasting.
Currently featured is the photography of
Robert Hicks from Rancho Cordova,
California.
The winery stays in touch with the new
friends they make by using preference-based
email messages. The contact is made with
anyone who likes White Oak, whether or not
they’ve joined the wine club. Denise says
that people want to hear from us and this is
an easy, earth-friendly way to maintain
contact.
Customers return and visit the people who
signed them up for the wine club or first
poured their wine. There’s a sincere
familiarity between the staff and the
customers. I was told they return for the
wine and the friendships that develop.
People also like to buy wine that is only
available at the winery, like the 2002
Alexander Valley Estate Merlot, $34. It
smells of concentrated berry fruit and a
note of eucalyptus. The mouth follows with
full-on fruit and sweet oak embraced by some
tannin and acid, making this wine a hit with
grilled meats. It stands in contrast to the
many flaccid Merlots that wash over your
tongue without the slightest grab.
Delicious!
As for events, White Oak participates in
every event sponsored by the Wine Road and
the Alexander Valley Winegrowers. With the
Wine Road there are large events such as
‘Winter Wineland’, ‘Barrel Tasting’ and the
‘Wine & Food Affair’.
The Wine Road is likewise a source of
camaraderie and support. Denise says that
the organization grows by 10-15 wineries
every year. She states that she’s a firm
believer that ‘the larger the organization,
the more impact it has’. There are now about
600,000 of the Wine Road maps produced every
two years, reaching thousands of consumers
in the Bay Area and beyond.
With the Alexander Valley Winegrowers
there is the ‘Taste of the Valley’ on the
first weekend of every month. White Oak is
also cultivating the relationship with their
immediate neighbors Hannah, Alexander Valley
Vineyards and Sausal to make their leg of
the sprawling Alexander Valley a destination
in itself. Denise says that if consumers are
excited about more than one winery on this
leg of the valley, they’ll spend a half or
even a full day here.
The small group of neighbors works
closely with Flying Horse Carriage in
Sebastopol to create a special wine country
experience for visitors. Flying Horse
describes it like this on their website: “In
a carriage drawn by elegant horses, travel
leisurely along our scenic route through the
vineyards which produce the award-winning
wines you will be tasting. Our tour includes
wine tasting at Alexander Valley's finest
wineries. It’s more than a tour; it’s a
unique wine tasting adventure!”
Then there are events at the winery for
the public and those that are created
exclusively for the wine club members, like
the Crab Feast and Wild about Mushrooms
Dinner. Denise creates an annual calendar of
all the events that’s available for
consumers to plan their wine trips and
occasions in advance. It makes perfect
sense. If you know you’re going to have a
spring or summer dinner every year, get it
on the calendar early and some of your
biggest fans will create a visit around your
event.
Denise and the staff also recommend going
to open houses at other wineries and
bringing your wine to try. Get to know the
other people out there working in tasting
rooms and they’ll recommend your winery to
their visitors. “It’s not a competition,”
she stresses.
Tours are available by appointment but
the staff will create one on the fly when it
can be accommodated, taking advantage of the
chance to see some action in the vineyard or
the winery. White Oak is open daily for
tasting, just around the bend from the
Jimtown Store.
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