On the Web: www.scottpaul.com On Twitter @scottpaulpn On Facebook

The goal of this series is to connect with wineries and wine business that use Social Media (Twitter and Facebook) effectively. These interviews can serve as a catalyst to help other wineries and wine businesses to see the benefits (and pitfalls) of joining the social revolution.

Interview Questions

How long have you been using Twitter?

Since late 2008

What prompted you to dive in?

The inter-connectedness of people with shared interests really appealed to me, and I found much of the information in the Twitterverse quite interesting…

What type of strategy or approach do you use when posting content?

A little bit of everything – links to my blog posts, announcements of new releases & events, photos of current activities in the vineyards and winery, chatter about my beloved Arsenal soccer team in London, updates from my weeks in Burgundy, Twitter-only specials in the tasting room, etc.

What have been the benefits of using Twitter/Facebook? (increased traffic, increased brand awareness, customer connection, etc)

We’ve definitely seen evidence of all of the above – especially increased web traffic, great customer connections. When our stuff gets retweeted we often see significant spikes in our web activity…

What do you think is the single biggest barrier to why we don’t see more wineries actively using Social Media tools? People probably think it takes too much time – but it really doesn’t.

What advice would you give to wineries joining the stream or getting back into the stream?

Embrace it enthusiastically, have something to say besides “buy my wine”, and enter into conversations – social media is not broadcasting, it is social interaction…

Briefly tell us about your winery, a new release, or something unique about you?

We’re the only winery that I’m aware of that is also a major national importer – we import 15 of the top producers in Burgundy and a killer grower Champagne – all the imports as well as our own wines are available here in our tasting room – a unique opportunity to taste old-world and new-world Pinot side-by-side. Most people don’t know that I was America’s most-listened-to radio personality in the 80s – I was Shadow Stevens on Z-100 New York, Pirate Radio Los Angeles, and had a nationally syndicated show called Hitline USA that aired in 350+ markets. And I once lived on the tour bus with the band Poison. But that’s another story for another time…

What is your favorite rock band and why?

Pearl Jam – I was an executive at Epic Records when we signed them and launched their first album – it was exciting to be a part of all of that…