The Blog

Smart thinking for wine brands that want to grow. From practical marketing strategies to bold takes on industry trends, our blog shares what’s working, what’s not, and what’s next in wine DTC. No nonsense. No filler. Just honest insights from the agency trusted by wineries around the world.

5forests Launches Abbi: Complete Commerce7 Site System for Modern Wineries

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, January 19, 2026 — 5forests, the marketing agency behind the Commerce7 for WordPress plugin used by over 800 wineries worldwide, announced the launch of Abbi, a comprehensive website system designed specifically for Commerce7 wineries. Built on a decade of experience creating high-performing winery websites, Abbi addresses a critical gap in the market:…

Title reads "It's Murder on the Dancefloor." Background image of man dancing naked in hallway.

Beyond Demographics: Why Psychographics Are the Future of Wine Marketing

This article is adapted from a presentation entitled “Murder on the Dancefloor” originally delivered by Polly Hammond at the Wine Sales Symposium in May 2024. It has been expanded and refined for written form, while preserving the core insights shared with wine industry leaders. Introduction: The Question We Keep Asking Wrong The first wine conference…

Audiobooks, hot wings, and, yes, labubu. This week on the Radar.

The following is a lightly edited transcript from The Wine Marketer’s Radar, a weekly briefing that curates smart, non-wine industry campaigns with real implications for how wine brands market, sell, and show up in the world. This week’s edition spotlights three unexpected but incredibly captivating campaigns—from audiobooks to hot sauce interviews to fashion-sized tequila—that reveal…

Gen Z clichés. Coke cans with QR codes. Sydney Sweeney’s “great jeans.”

This is the gently edited transcript of the July 31 episode of The Wine Marketer’s Radar — a weekly series from 5forests that connects external marketing shifts to modern wine brand strategy. Three very different stories, but each a lesson for wine brands: why labels can mislead us, how to leverage packaging for growth, and…

Wine Marketing in Uncertain Times: Trust, Experience, and Gen Z Luxury

This is the gently edited transcript of the July 10 episode of The Wine Marketer’s Radar — a weekly series from 5forests that connects external marketing shifts to modern wine brand strategy. Tariffs, trust, and wine marketing in uncertain times We’re kicking off this week with a story from Marketing Dive that hits especially close…

Third Places, Nostalgia Marketing, and Why Strategy Still Beats Tactics

This article is a gently edited transcript from the June 29 episode of The Wine Marketer’s Radar, a weekly series from 5forests connecting big-picture marketing trends to wine brand strategy. Brand-owned coffee shops are the new flagship store First up, coffee — and the proliferation of brand-owned coffee shops. What does that have to do…

What SXSW London Taught Me About the Future of Wine Marketing

Hello and welcome back to The Wine Marketer’s Radar. I’ve been away for the past two weeks — first at the inaugural SXSW London, and then working with my team in the city on a very special project. (More on that soon — watch this space!) SXSW London was a powerful reminder that there’s a…

Graphic reads The Wine Marketers Radar Why Gen Z Trusts AI, Boards Need Youth, and Brands Need Visibility

Gen Z, AI, and the Leadership Gap

This article is a gently edited version of the latest episode of The Wine Marketer’s Radar—our weekly series connecting wine brands with the business and marketing trends that matter most. This week, we’re talking leadership, memory, marketing, and momentum. From boardrooms to your browser, we’ll explore the culture shifts that are shaping how consumers think,…

Jim Morrison driving classic car with words reading Riders on the Storm

Riders on the Storm: How Smart Wine Brands Are Surviving an Existential Crisis

This article is adapted from a talk originally presented by Polly Hammond and Michael Bourne at the Wine Sales Symposium in December 2024. It has been gently edited for clarity and flow in written form, while preserving the core insights shared live with wine industry leaders. Introduction: What Happens When the Old Playbook Fails? Imagine…

Loyalty, Trust, Attention, and Gen Z

This is the gently edited transcript from the May 19 episode of The Wine Marketer’s Radar, a weekly series by 5forests that connects global business trends to wine marketing strategy. This week on The Wine Marketer’s Radar, we’re looking at how smart brands are building loyalty, trust, and attention. From Pinterest’s role in Gen Z…

Young woman with headphones and sunglasses.She's wearing a striped shirt and standing in front of a striped background

How to Sell Wine to Gen Z (An Insider’s Guide)

To sell wine to Gen Z, brands must align with their values, meet them on digital-first platforms, offer transparency, and create experiences over prestige. That’s the short answer. But Gen Z is radically reshaping how—and why—people engage with alcohol. If you’re a wine brand trying to stay relevant, here’s what the 5forests team thinks every…

Graphic reads: the Wine Marketer's Radar, CRM 3.0, Abuelas & Anti-AI Campaigns, #SocialOffSocials and the Digital Video Surge

CRM 3.0, Anti-AI Campaigns, and the Digital Video Surge

Welcome back to The Wine Marketer’s Radar, where we decode the most important business, marketing, and consumer stories outside the wine world—and connect the dots to what they mean for your brand. This week, we’re talking about a shift in loyalty marketing, a breakout brand campaign that ditches AI in favor of abuelas, the continued…