Katherine Cole

This interview is with Katherine Cole, an Oregon wine writer. Katherine talks about how she started writing about Oregon wine, the kinds of stories that interest her and each of her books. She also discusses at length about the social movement of Rosé and some of the challenges of being a wine writer. This interview was conducted by Stephanie Hofmann at Katherine Cole’s house in Portland on August 16, 2017.

“Wine is an emotional sale, not a rational one.” according to Katherine Cole, Communications Director of Vin Agency , making storytelling and the immersive nature of web design critical for DTC wine sales, according to Katherine and Jon Krauss, Creative Director of Vin Agency. They explain how website design can improve brand messaging and create more DTC sales by making websites discoverable, drawing the consumer in, and making it easy to purchase once the thirst is built. Detailed Show Notes: Jon’s background - founded Vin in 2009 Katherine’s background - “recovering wine journalist,” has written 5 books, was a wine journalist for the Oregonian Newspaper, hosts The Four Top podcast Vin is a creative agency and brand consultancy for wineries The core focus is custom website design Winery focus gives Vin deep expertise in the space Search Engine Optimization (“SEO”) - how people find a website Has technical elements - e.g., meta descriptions, site maps - Vin uses WordPress that has plug-ins to make this easier Has communication elements - using SEO keywords (e.g., Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir) and being strategic around where the terms appear (e.g., in headlines, the size of the words, where they appear on the page) E.g., Hibou - re-launched their website Sept 2021, pageviews went up >400%, new site visitors up >200% (shows SEO working), and average session duration up >140% (showing the storytelling is working) Wine is more of an emotional purchase, less rationale, so more immersive website experiences are powerful E.g., Casino Mile Ranch - didn’t have solid website engagement and wasn’t getting their story across; after the website re-launch, customers have kept coming back to the site E-commerce design is critical for wine websites E.g., Seavey Vineyards - their e-commerce was awkward and difficult to navigate (they use WineDirect); Vin re-designed it using WordPress, and it now drills into products to see different formats (e.g., magnums, etc.) and vintages leading to +80% increase in large format sales The ability to customize checkout flow depends on the e-comm vendor (Commerce 7 and Offset/Figure are Vin’s favorites for this, Offset particularly for allocated wineries) New technologies, e.g., chat boxes and texting, can improve performance but depends on the type of winery E.g., Silt sales rocketed up when they launched a new website in conjunction with text messaging which linked to the site Visitation/hospitality best practices Immersing visitors to the feeling of being at the winery Having photography without people in it helps people imagine that they are in it Website costs It can range from $5-100k depending on the size of the winery and the scope of the website, and the normal range is ~$12-30k Some sites can be built over time Better to start with a wine-focused developer, people who try non-wine template sites often come to Vin because their e-commerce doesn’t work properly Highest ROI areas Eliminate dead ends on the site for the path to purchase Create a call to action at the bottom of each page Website trends for wineries Some language cues being used with consumer psychology in mind, e.g., “discover” vs. “home page” Scroll animation Drone videos and videos in more creative ways “Photography will never go out of style” some luxury wineries use immersive art photography Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https:

On this episode, Katherine Cole joined the show to discuss children's health and supplementation. Katherine leads research and development efforts at ChildLife Essentials as the R&D Manager. She is responsible for bringing together the latest science, technology, and premium ingredients to deliver innovative products in children’s health. Her passion for discovering where science and health intersect began while earning her degree at the University of California, Berkeley in Integrative Human Biology.

We continue our "Best of The Four Top" series by asking: In what ways are music and wine related? Why are music industry veterans drawn to the wine industry? And why do creators launch "vanity labels," whether in music or wine? We're revisiting our conversation about ’80s and ’90s bands, fine wine, and everything in between. Meet our panelists: Courtney Taylor-Taylor is the lead singer, guitarist, and co-founder of The Dandy Warhols, and the owner of our recording venue, the punk-rock-fine-wine bar The Old Portland. Jay Boberg co-founded the seminal 1980s label IRS Records before going on to run MCA/Universal. He’s now the co-owner of Domaine Nicolas-Jay winery. Sheri Hood ran the American branch of the British record label 4AD and managed prominent bands before becoming the proprietor of The Pressing Plant wine label. Katherine Cole is our host.

As congress considers legalizing marijuana nationally, it's time to revisit our conversation about cannabis in the kitchen. We brought together a renowned cannabis cookbook author, the former editor-in-chief of Fine Cooking magazine, and a libertarian journalist for some serious talk about marijuana's role in the food world, and how the heck to cook with it (hint: it's not easy). Our panelists are Jacob Grier, a prominent mixologist who is also a political writer for publications such as The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and The Daily Beast; Martha Holmberg, CEO emeritus of the International Association of Culinary Professionals; and Laurie Wolf, cannabis cookbook author and owner of Laurie & Mary Jane, a producer of small-batch, cannabis-infused edibles. Our host is Katherine Cole.

The Court of Master Sommeliers, an elite and exclusive group of wine professionals, faces accusations of sexual harassment and assault, and reports of fostering a culture of racism. Our panelists discuss. Next, our guests examine the ways in which the culture of wine has changed recently, and the work required to further propel the industry forward. Our panelists are Julia Coney, contributing editor at VinePair and founder of Black Wine Professionals; Julia Moskin, food and dining reporter for The New York Times; and Martin Reyes, the world's first Master of Wine of Mexican descent, founder of Reyes Wine Group, and cofounder of Wine Unify Our host is Katherine Cole. This episode was recorded remotely in locations across the United States. Stay safe out there.

It has been an incredibly challenging year for all of us, but no group of people has been put at greater risk this fall than agricultural workers. Vanessa García Polenco, Reyna Lopez, and Somini Sengupta join Katherine Cole to discuss how wildfires, superstorms, and the COVID-19 pandemic have affected the lives of agricultural workers who are essential to putting food on our table.

Mat Chow, a 2014 graduate of the Yale School of Management, is a Director of Design for Change at IDEO. He is interviewed by Katherine Cole '19, a second-year MBA student and former nonprofit consultant interested in innovation, human capital, and organizational behavior.

PORTLAND, Ore. – One of the hottest trends in the world of wine – around the globe and throughout the Pacific Northwest – is rosé. And a new book by one of the West Coast’s most celebrated wine writers explores the world of pink wine. We recently got on the phone with Katherine Cole […]