By Carl Giavanti

I have nostalgia for radio. I’ve always had music playing in the background or foreground since I was a teen. I can’t make a meal to this day without streaming music while cooking, and as backdrop to my daily activities. Podcasts on the other hand have become my go-to content for exercising. So much to learn, and it’s all out there. I was slow to acknowledge the value of wine podcasting, but over the last 10 years I’ve recognized that medium as an important part of my media outreach. I search for interview podcasters interested in featuring my clients on their online wine radio platforms. Why? Please read on.

Digital media has become pervasive, and people consume news and information in different ways. Podcasts are the one medium that comes close to multi-tasking – cooking, exercising, walking the dog while listening are all great examples – and we all know how we humans love to try to multi-task.

Apple launched the first audio streaming service, i.e., podcast (iPod + broadcast) back in 2005, and last year doubled down on the business model by offering subscription services to content creators who distribute millions of podcasts to their listeners. Spotify and Sirius are other large services that offer curated collections of podcasts via apps or online. According to research reported in the Wall Street Journal last year, it’s a billion-dollar business with over 100 million American listening in.

There are many web-based wine-related radio shows that wineries and communications professionals should seek out, especially those who offer custom interviews, tasting panel chats, and discussions. I research and schedule podcast interviews for my clients, and recommend they engage, then share on the winery’s website and social platforms. I am particularly interested in hosts who do their own research, and are willing to collaborate on story ideas and interview topics.

Top Wine-related Podcasts To Check Out Right Now

Some of my go-to podcasters include Ray Fister’s Life Between the Vines, Allison Levine’s Wine Soundtrack, and Katherine Cole’s The Four Top, Wine Podcast. Rich Schmidt, Linfield University director of the Oregon Wine History Archives has been running a specialized video and podcast series featuring influential winemakers, growers, and consultants in Oregon for several years. I also enjoy Andy Harris’ SoCal Restaurant Show on Angels Baseball Radio station, which combines live radio and streaming podcast recordings of restaurant and wine personalities. Email me, if you are interested in other wine podcasters I like at the moment.

As a primer to being an effective speaker, I like to suggest that winemakers offer their time on panels at wine industry seminars and conferences to establish themselves as experts; and participate in virtual interviews, chat rooms, seminars and tasting panels to really establish their talk tracks. These can be fun, educational and helpful in getting and keeping your brand out there, as well as a way to prepare for podcasting with media professionals.

Why Internet Wine Radio? There are several reasons.

Podcasts are ready whenever you are. And its personal, as you opt in because the topic is of interest to you. Unlike traditional AM & FM radio which broadcast live shows at specific times, you can consume content whenever you like, whether downloaded or streaming.

Podcasts are intimate. In fact, there are few human experiences that are more so than the human voice. This was highlighted during the 2020 pandemic. A form of stream of consciousness or riffing takes place between the interviewer and interviewee or panel, especially in the case of live shows. And let’s face it, we are intrigued by the human voice, while sometimes distracted by people when in person.

The technology is readily available. Podcast hosting platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Wix, Spreaker, Spotify, and SoundCloud are readily available, and bridge your analog with the digital world. Video platforms like Twitch, Periscope, and Zoom can be recorded and transcribed to audio content. Facebook and Instagram Live are other familiar and easy to use consumer options, and can also be transcribed.

Here’s the call to action – winery owners, marketers and winemakers. Get out there and get your voices heard, by either setting up your own podcast recordings or working with media professionals that can help tell your story. Increase your winery’s brand visibility, audibly, to gain new streaming audiences.

Do you have a favorite wine-related podcast? What makes it stand out to you? Feel free to share with the rest of the community in the comment section below.

Carl Giavanti is a Winery Publicist with a DTC Marketing background. He’s going on his 14th year of winery consulting. Carl has been involved in business marketing and public relations for over 25 years; originally in technology, digital marketing and project management, and now as a winery media relations consultant. Clients are or have been in Napa Valley, Willamette Valley, Walla Walla, Columbia Valley and the Columbia Gorge.

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