Insights From Holidays & Wine Distractions
Direct to Consumer New Acquisitions:
Holidays & Wine Distractions is focused on customer retention. For new acquisitions Holidays & Wine Distractions can help to find a preferred partner.
For twenty-five years I've helped organizations build subscription and membership businesses. From magazine readers to pet owners, I learned that people don't stay because of the transaction. They stay because they feel they belong.
That realization is what drew me to wine.
Wine isn't simply a product consumed and replaced. It becomes part of life's stories. A bottle marks anniversaries, celebrations, friendships, vacations, quiet dinners, and conversations that stretch late into the evening. One vintage reminds us where we were in our own lives when those grapes were growing. Another becomes the bottle we open every Thanksgiving. Wine creates memories long before it creates repeat purchases.
The best wine clubs understand this. They don't just ship bottles—they create anticipation, conversation, discovery, and community. They give members reasons to return that have little to do with discounts and everything to do with belonging. The numbers do matter. Lifetime value, retention, and profitability matter. These monetary benefits are the result of building a strong community.
Throughout my career I've built communities around shared passions. I've helped readers discover ideas, connected enthusiasts around common interests, and built membership programs that increased loyalty by making people feel like insiders rather than customers.
Helping wineries feels like the natural continuation of that work. I’ve spent my career learning what makes people stay with communities. Wine gives me an industry where community feels especially meaningful.
My goal isn't simply to reduce churn. It's to help wineries build clubs people are proud to belong to—communities that members recommend to friends, stay with for years, and feel connected to long after the shipment has arrived.
Because in the end, retention isn't really about keeping customers.
It's about creating something worth coming back to.
Alex Caffarini’s article Stop Losing Wine Club Members is an excellent and informative article applicable to any industry.
Protea Financial offered commentary to the 2026 BMO Wine Market Report, specifically “…old assumptions no longer hold.” Holidays & Wine Distractions is entering the Wine Industry space because of different assumptions and experience.
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