Ep 2343 Barbara Fitzgerald interviews Honore Comfort | Masterclass US Wine Market

Welcome to Episode 2343 of the Italian Wine Podcast. In this episode, Barbara Fitzgerald interviews Honore Comfort, vice president of international marketing at the Wine Institute, public policy association of 1,000 California wineries and affiliated businesses. Key takeaways: What are the generational disconnects at play when inviting young consumers into the wine category? How can brands engage young consumers in a meaningful way? How can wineries think outside of the box but inside their budgets? More about the guest: Honore draws on 18 years of international wine marketing, association management, and brand strategy experience to promote export sales of California wines and build the California Wines brand on a global scale. Prior to joining Wine Institute in 2019, she served for nearly 10 years as the executive director of the Sonoma County Vintners, a trade marketing organization for Sonoma County wineries. Previously with Foster’s Wine Estates Americas (now Treasury Wine Estates), Honore headed up North American marketing efforts for several major wine brands. In 2015 she became the president of Brack Mountain Wine Company in Sonoma County, where she oversaw sales and marketing, brand development, and business strategy. Connect: Website: https://wineinstitute.org/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/honore-c-a7919a5/ More about the host: With a career of nearly two decades in the wine industry, Barbara specializes in D2C marketing and business development. She's led roles from entry level to senior management, combining her extensive experience with data analysis, critical thinking and storytelling while driving revenue growth and brand recognition for California wineries. As a part of the 4th generation of an Italian-American family among the California wine industry pioneers, Barbara has spent her life around wine growing, production, marketing, distribution and hospitality. A Syracuse University graduate, she returned to California to gain diverse industry perspectives from a range of wineries. As an Italian Wine Ambassador, she brings her expertise to the Italian wine market, known for its authenticity and consumer demand. Barbara now runs Apri La Creative Consulting, coaching wineries in Italy and the US to strategically develop their D2C channels in line with their brand values. Together with her husband, Barbara also owns and operates a boutique wine production company, and a small import company specializing in Italian wines to the US. Connect: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbarajeanfitz/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-fitzgerald-iwa/Website: https://www.aprilacreative.com _______________________________ Let's keep in touch! Follow Italian Wine Podcast on our social media channels: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/italianwinepodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ItalianWinePodcast Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/itawinepodcast Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mammajumboshrimp LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/italianwinepodcast If you feel like helping us, donate here: https://www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/ Until next time, Cin Cin!