Beyond the Vineyard
Showcasing the Hidden Roles in a Family-Run Winery
I recently received a message from someone with a question that I think will resonate with many of you, especially those of us working in family-run wineries. A woman reached out, frustrated that her contributions as a general manager of her family-owned winery often go unrecognized. While her husband, the winemaker, is the face of the winery’s PR, she’s handling the “boring,” day-to-day operations—payroll, distributor relationships, managing staff—and feels like her role doesn’t lend itself to “fun” Instagram content or brand recognition.
This sparked a bigger question: How can wineries better brand themselves as “family-run” and give equal spotlight to the various roles that make the business run smoothly?
The Unseen, Unsung, and Yet Vital Roles in a Winery
In family-run businesses, especially wineries, there’s often a tendency to spotlight the most visible aspects of the operation—winemaking, vineyard work, tastings—because these are the things our consumers (and let’s be honest, we) romanticize. But running a winery involves so much more, and those behind-the-scenes roles are just as critical to the business’s success.
Think about what it takes to manage payroll, coordinate with out-of-state distributors, and create staff schedules—none of these are tasks that a winery can do without. Yet, they’re often overlooked in marketing efforts because they don’t feel “Instagrammable.” But I believe they should be.
Just because these roles aren’t happening out in the vineyard or on the crush pad doesn’t mean they can’t be engaging. There’s a huge opportunity here to connect with your audience by showcasing the full picture of what it takes to run a family-owned winery.
How to Highlight “Unseen” Work
Behind-the-Scenes Posts: take your audience behind the curtain to show how essential tasks like scheduling tasting room staff or coordinating with distributors are critical to keeping the winery running smoothly. Capture moments of staff juggling schedules or shipping logistics, and pair them with captions that explain how these seemingly mundane tasks are what make the magic of your winery possible. A quick clip of coordinating shipments, followed by a scene of happy customers enjoying your wine, can connect these dots for your audience.
“Day in the Life” Reels or Stories: Create fun, engaging content that walks your audience through a day in the life of someone who handles operations—whether that’s the general manager, logistics coordinator, or sales team. Show off their to-do lists with a mix of humor and reality, highlighting everything from payroll headaches to last-minute distributor calls. You can even lean into the more relatable moments of small business ownership—juggling too many tasks at once, last-minute changes, or enjoying a well-deserved coffee break. This lets your followers glimpse the less sexy but no less important work.
Introduce the Team: Create a series of posts that spotlight each team member and the unique role they play within the winery. For example, show how the tasting room manager coordinates events, how the operations manager keeps things running smoothly, or how the marketing lead tells the winery's story. Let your audience get to know the personalities behind the scenes while emphasizing that winemaking is a team effort.
Examples of Wineries Who Do This Well
There are wineries that have nailed the “family-run” brand narrative by ensuring all roles are recognized, both seen and unseen:
Foxen Vineyard & Winery: I admit to a bit of prejudice here as I run this account, but I think we’ve done a pretty good job showing off all the vital folks that make this brand tick. We even show off some of the less sexy things in our stories, like the time our Vice President went to a seminar on finance. We involved our audience by asking them some questions related to what she learned at the seminar
CHO Wines: Though Dave is the winemaker, it is also because of Lois, the CEO and co-founder of CHO, that this brand has grown so rapidly. Lois does a great job showing both the sexy sides of their wine brand and the less sexy sides of it. She’s been open about the mental health struggles that can come with being the wife of a winemaker and regularly shows behind the scenes (and my new favorite series she does, called Harvest Mom Diaries)
Alta Colina Vineyard & Winery: Another family-run wine brand that absolutely kills it on social media. They share the fun behind-the-scenes stuff and the less fun stuff, all with great humor and ample shenanigans. And lots of photos of their winery dog, Honey.