Winter Wineland attendance down, sales up

<p>Foot traffic was down slightly during last weekend’s Winter Wineland event, but those folks who showed up to taste Sonoma County wines were in the mood to buy.</p><p>“It rocked for us,” said John Holdredge, owner and winemaker of Holdredge Wines in the Dry Creek Valley. “It was the biggest Wineland we’ve ever had as far as total sales.”</p><p>Organized by the Russian River Wine Road association, the 17th annual wine-tasting event took place last Saturday and Sunday at 112 wineries spread throughout the Russian River, Alexander Valley and Dry Creek valleys.</p><p>With only about half the wineries reporting numbers by mid-week, officials estimated that the event’s attendance was down about 10 percent from last year but overall wine sales were up.</p><p>“I’d say it was a really successful event, in large part due to the weather,” said Beth Costa, executive director of the Russian River Wine Road. “It was a beautiful time to be out.”</p><p>A torrential rain during a similar tasting event in November resulted in a 25 percent drop in ticket sales, Costa said.</p><p>Carolyn Lewis, owner of Locals Tasting Room in Geyserville, said her Winter Wineland sales were up over last year. Lewis credited the warm weather and the weak economy for boosting ticket sales at the door.</p><p>“Where people would normally come and spend a few nights in a hotel, there were a lot of day-trippers,” Lewis said. “That resulted in last-minute ticket sales.”</p><p>At Inman Family Wines in the Russian River Valley, owner and winemaker Kathleen Inman said the boutique winery had more people coming through the door but they were more cautious with their wallets.</p><p>“The total sales were higher, but the sales per person was lower,” she said. “That’s a common recessionary thing. People like to treat themselves but they don’t go overboard.”</p><p>“I think people are a little more careful about what they’re buying,” Costa said. “They were looking for deals.”</p>