Interview No. 1 with Annette Boyd

 

Interview with Annette Ringwood Boyd, Director, Virginia Wine Marketing Office

January 28, 2022

For our January post, we are featuring an interview with Annette Ringwood Boyd, Director, Virginia Wine Marketing Office.

 

Ms. Boyd has been involved with marketing Virginia since 1987 when she became the wine marketing specialist for the Virginia Department of Agriculture.  She was instrumental in creating October as “Virginia Wine Month,” establishing the Virginia Governor’s Cup wine competition and recently the Governor’s Cup Wine Trail.  In 2007, she was awarded the contract to manage the Virginia Wine Marketing Office as its Director.

We held this conversation in the middle of Annette's planning for the Virginia Governor's Cup competition in March, which will be a  combined trade and consumer event this year.  Consumers are invited to have parties through YouTube and Facebook as the Cup selections are revealed.  The ticketed trade party will be fundraiser for the Jimmy V Foundation and the Virginia Wineries Association.

The discussion below is a combination of a live interview and written Q’s and A’s from January 26 and January 28, 2022.   I have edited the two together while doing my best to keep faithful to the conversation. 

How did you get into the wine marketing business? 

I sold wines in college and had an internship through Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) with Strawberry Street Vineyard in Richmond’s Fan district.  Through that internship, I learned details of operating a small wine business.  Two years out of college, the Virginia Department of Agriculture advertised for a marketing specialist in wine.  I got the job and was the marketing specialist for five years.  I created Virginia Wine Month and took steps to improve the reputation of the Virginia Governor’s Cup.   I left the wine marketing specialist position and spent 15 years working in the private sector with advertising agencies and non-profits.  I then responded to a request for proposals (RFP) to manage the Virginia Wine Marketing Office as an outside contractor.  My company, Ringwood Boyd Marketing, was awarded that contract in 2007.  I have a staff of five that now manages the office with me.

What wine do you prefer – red or white, sweet or dry?  When I find any – can I send you a referral?  I promise not to inundate you!

I love lots of different wines and get to taste many wines.  What I prefer depends on the setting.  For example, on a cold and snowy night, a nice vintage Port would be great.  Virginia also produces some great Sauvignon Blanc wines for the summertime.  Generally, I have an old-world palette.  I like Virginia blended wines – like Meritage, which is my “go-to” wine.  I think Virginia does very well with its Bordeaux-style blends.   I don’t favor fruit-forward wines or the jammy California wines.   

I look forward to taking any referrals from your travels.

I’m scheduled to volunteer at a winery next week to do bottling.  This is for some posts on wine making that I am planning this year.  Would the Virginia Wine Marketing Board consider having a resource of Virginia wineries that offer opportunities for people to volunteer for the experience – such as harvest and other tasks?

While it may be something for the Marketing Office to consider in the future, it is probably more for the Virginia Wineries Association to offer a central resource of winery volunteer opportunities.  Each winery has its own business model, and it would be up to each winery to decide if volunteer activities fit in that model.

I look to the annual Governor proclamations for the official statement of the health of the Virginia wine industry at a high level.  In October 2018, 2019, and 2020, the governor stated that the state was the sixth-largest in the U.S. in wine grape production or the sixth-largest wine region in the United States.  In the October 2021 Proclamation, the governor said that: “Virginia consistently ranks within the top ten wine regions in the United States.”  This makes it sound as if the State wine industry is fading.  The proclamation in 2020 showed a reduction on wine grape production of around 1,000 tons and a reduction in value of over $1 Million from 2018 figures.  Economic impact, number of persons employed in the industry, and number of tourists appear static.  What is your perspective?  What is the health of the industry?

Virginia wine has not gone backwards.  We backed off saying that Virginia was 5^th or 6^th for a number of reasons.  First, Texas, on paper, has more wineries and more vineyards, though they do not have an office like the Virginia Wine Marketing Office that keeps accurate count and they have a habit of not letting the truth get in the way of a good story. Also in Texas, one winery can have four locations and each is licensed as if it is an independent winery, even though all the wine is made in one location. We don’t do that in Virginia so Texas numbers are highly inflated.  Second, in Michigan and Pennsylvania all grape vineyards are counted whether they grow wine grapes or not.  Eighty percent or more of grape production in Pennsylvania and Michigan is of Concord grapes for Welch’s grape juice and jellies.

Third, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) in the U.S. Department of Agriculture has stopped surveying vineyards and wineries except for California and Washington State (“the big 2”) for budget reasons.  This means that there is no third-party doing the census collection anymore.  With NASS activity being limited to “the big 2,” it is too hard to continue counting Virginia wine activity as we used to.  Our language was very specific about size of Virginia’s wine industry from grapes grown in Virginia.  Our statistics were based on three data points:

            1. Number of acres of WINE grapes. 

            2. Number of wineries

            3. Production of wines from wine grapes grown in Virginia.  On this last point, we did not count if a winery brought in fruit or juice from out of state.  Many states rank higher than Virginia in wine production, including Florida, New Jersey, and Kentucky.  But they are bringing in juice from out of state. We don’t count that either.

The Commonwealth continues to deal with the challenges of COVID-19, and wineries continue to adapt to changing conditions.  The Virginiawine.org site and the app have been helpful in navigating the landscape.  Do you have any initiatives that you plan to roll-out in 2022 to improve winery experience for visitors and/or improve the health of the wineries and vineyards?

We will continue to build our digital support of Virginia wineries. This includes the website and app as well as digital advertising to drive customers to Virginia wineries.  Last year, we launched the Governor’s Cup Wine Trail as part of the marketing to support the Governor’s Cup Wine Competition.  We were really pleased with the results so we plan to expand on that this year.  We had over 3,200 app downloads and 4,500 people check-in along the wine trail - very successful.  We expect that this year will be a hybrid year with many more media and customers getting out and about again.  We will be doing more media and trade tours of Virginia wineries in addition to our digital advertising to consumers.  Also, in the last two years, we are finding success with mini-promotions like Virginia Rosé week in June and our Winter Whites promotion last November-December.  We will continue to come up with mini-promotions that can spark consumer and winery interest.

Aside from COIVD-19, perhaps the other big issue for Virginia wine is climate change.  The increase in temperature during the growing season can have longer term ramifications on the types of grapes that are grown and where the growing takes place.  Do you have a perspective from your position in wine marketing on how Virginia wine and the industry may be affected and what to do about it?  On a somewhat related point, what can you tell me about the Virginia Wine Board Marketing Office partnership with the Virginia Vineyards Association to produce a better Commercial Grape Report?

The Virginia Wine Industry is in the midst of developing an industry-wide Strategic Plan. Planning for climate change and the challenges that might bring to Virginia has been a big part of the discussions.  Industry discussions have included conducting tests on new grape varietals that might work in our climate and also testing the wine produced from those grapes and the marketing viability of those new wines.  It’s a very long-term look at what might be needed several years out.

Regarding the Commercial Grape Report, the Virginia Wine Board and the Virginia Vineyards Association brought the Commercial Grape Report in-house this year. Our office is managing that collection process. We are in the midst of that project right now, but we are pleased with the reporting results so far, though the collection is still taking place.

As Director, you have served governors from both parties.  I have reviewed some general statements Mr. Youngkin has made in support of farmers and foresters, to reduce tax and regulatory burdens.  Do you have any expectations for how Mr. Youngkin will approach the Virginia wine industry in particular? 

I highly respect Governor Youngkin’s choices for Agriculture & Forestry Secretary [Matt Lohr replacing Bettina Ring] and Commissioner of Agriculture [Joseph Guthrie replacing Brad Copenhaver] so I do not anticipate any issues.

It may be too early to say, but are you aware of legislative proposals that may impact the wine industry or the ability to market Virginia wine?

I am not aware of any, but truthfully that is not within my area of expertise. All legislative issues are handled by the Virginia Wineries Association. 

My blog has a section on wine pricing, and I quote you there with some statistics on winery expenditures from 2017:  average $5 Million with a 10-year breakeven point.  Is that still pretty accurate? 

The Virginia Wine Marketing Office does not itself keep these statistics.  But it is the data I have.  It is accurate so far as I know.

Would you agree to touch base with me at least annually?

 Yes.  This is the start of a continuing relationship.

 Thanks very much for your time!