Sonoma Training Virtual Wine Tasting

Services Executed

Campaign Strategy, Content Production

Client

Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits

Channels

Social Media, Web, In-Store

Project Overview•

The Calling, a Sonoma brand in the Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits portfolio, engaged us to produce the Sonoma Training Virtual Wine Tasting for Total Wine staff.

Using The Calling as the stand-in brand, wine educator Theo Rutherford and winemaker James MacPhail guide associates through a clear, memorable primer on Sonoma’s sense of place.

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Business Challenge

  • Give retail associates a concise Sonoma primer they can recall at the shelf.
  • Keep the video lightly branded with The Calling as the stand-in, centered on the region.
  • Build sound bites, on-screen takeaways, and subtitles that reinforce retention.
  • Coordinate Sonoma field visuals and a D.C. recording with Theo to bring expert voices to life.

Our Approach

We set out to make Sonoma feel familiar and easy to talk about. Theo welcomes associates into the story, then James brings the place to life through the people, the vineyards, and the glass.

We kept branding light and language guest friendly, focusing on clear takeaways instead of details. The goal was simple: help teams feel confident at the shelf by knowing what makes Sonoma special and how to share it in a way customers remember.

What We Did•

  • Develop Production Strategy
  • Visual Translation Board
  • Pre-Production
  • Production
  • Post Production + Launch Support

Team Members Involved

  • Strategic Development Team: 3 Team Members
  • Production Crew: 4 Team Members
  • Talent: 2 (Theo Rutherford, James MacPhail)

Location(s)

Tongue Dancer Wines

Healdsburg, CA

Duncan’s Overlook

Bodega Bay, CA

Terra de Promissio

Petaluma, CA

Braughton Vineyard

Sebastopol, CA

CIRCA at Navy Yard

Washington, DC

Deliverables

  • An 8-minute Sonoma Training Virtual Wine Tasting for Total Wine staff
  • Versioned masters to fit partner needs: subtitled, clean, and logo-watermarked.
  • 3 consumer-facing commercials and three social cutdowns to support awareness across paid or owned channels.
  • Video stills/images to extend the content system across social, in-store, and partner collateral.
A person is pouring white wine from a bottle labeled 'The Calling' into a wine glass on a metal table.
A wine bottle with the label 'The Calling' next to an empty wine glass.
A person drinking red wine from a wine glass.
Four bottles of wine from 'The Calling' brand. A hand is holding the third bottle from the left.
A scenic view of a rural landscape with rolling hills, fields, and a cluster of trees on a hilltop.

The Impact•

Highlights

  • Delivered a staff-first Sonoma primer with expert narration and vivid, place-driven visuals.
  • Equipped teams with memorable sound bites, subtitles, and lower thirds for quick recall.
  • Created a light-brand training asset aligned to DFWS goals and Total Wine education standards.

Social

Short educational snippets were structured for potential internal and partner channels to tease training themes.

  • Cut-downs emphasize AVA visuals and key phrases for fast comprehension.
  • Voice-led micro-moments from Theo and James invite deeper learning.
  • Flexible exports for DFWS or partner posts when education support is needed.

In-Store

Training content supported onboarding and shelf-talk.

  • DFWS educator intro plus winemaker segments build confidence and consistency.
  • Subtitled, clean, and watermarked files fit internal systems and quick playback.
  • AVA, climate, soil, and fog explanations translate into guest-friendly language.