Palmaz Vineyards co-founder unbottles the secrets of staging a virtual wine-tasting experience
Sitting at the end of a long table, with two bottles nearby and a glass in hand, Florencia Palmaz is only 10 minutes into her company’s first virtual wine tasting when she feels compelled to make a confession.
The CEO of Palmaz Vineyards says while she loves getting e-mails from customers about celebrating an engagement or an anniversary with one of the firm’s vintages, those aren’t the only notable times its wine goes down particularly well.
“We are also prone to drink the really good stuff in bad times,” she says, laughing into the camera from the south end of the winery, where she had already been isolated for several weeks. “We have a long history of diving into the cellar at the not so good moments in our lives.”
First streamed in late March and using technology from Lifesize, this kickoff episode to what Palmaz has dubbed the Wine Stream was titled “Emotional Support Wine.” This is has been followed by “Thirsty Thirteens,” when the team looks back at the dry period of 2013 that produced some particularly extraordinary vintages, and “The Extended Table,” a discussion on sharing wine with friends and family and featuring a doctor discussing its health benefits.
While virtual wine tastings have become more common during COVID-19 as vineyards seek to maintain customer relationships despite social distancing guidelines, Palmaz has aimed to elevate it into a less of a band-aid solution and more of a unique experience in its own right.
I talked to Palmaz Vineyards co-founder Christian Palmaz to get a closer look at what Wine Stream has come to mean for the brand and its customers. Subscribe or log in to learn:
- The technological head-start that set the stage for the Wine Stream’s success
- Two elements that helped shape what customers see in each episode
- Unexpected revenue opportunities that have emerged
- What Palmaz will bring from the Wine Stream to its in-person tours
A business that relies on visitation
Palmaz Vineyards already had the perfect opening sequence for the Wine Stream before the series was ever conceived.
In what could best be described as 
