Welcome to Cru!

07/19/23 • 3 min

Welcome to Cru! I'm your host, Chappy Cottrell, and I'm here to take you on an exhilarating journey through the captivating world of wine. As an award-winning wine marketer, podcaster, sommelier, and wine director, I've dedicated my life to uncovering the hidden gems of the industry.

Episodes can be listened to on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or CruPodcast.com

Every Monday, we dive deep into the essence of wine, bringing you exclusive interviews with the true legends and fearless disruptors who are shaping the future of this remarkable industry. Get ready for a weekly rendezvous with the most intriguing minds in the wine business, as they unveil their profound thoughts, share their incredible experiences, and provide invaluable insights.

Whether you're a seasoned sommelier, an aspiring business owner, a master winemaker with years of expertise, or someone embarking on their very first steps in the industry, this podcast is an absolute must-listen. I guarantee that you won't want to miss a single episode!

Imagine having the brightest stars in the wine cosmos whispering their secrets and wisdom directly into your eager ears. With Cru, you'll gain unparalleled access to the minds behind the labels and business, their stories interlaced with passion, ambition, and a sheer love for wine.

But let me share a little secret about Cru's humble beginnings. Back in 2016, Cru started as my personal quest to learn from the industry's most revered figures, asking them the burning questions that fueled my curiosity about starting and operating a wine business. After a brief hiatus, Cru has returned with a renewed purpose: to continue seeking answers to those questions, exploring every facet of growing, making, marketing, and selling wine.

My mission is simple: I want each and every episode to arm you with strategic and tactical insights that you can apply directly to your own journey in the industry. I’m here to empower you, to fuel your aspirations, and to make your path in the wine world that much brighter.

You can find Cru on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Simply search for Cru Wine Podcast, and our exhilarating episodes will be right at your fingertips.

If you find value in our show - and I’m certain you will - I kindly ask you to consider subscribing and leaving a glowing review. Your support goes a long way in helping remarkable industry professionals like yourself discover the wealth of knowledge Cru has to offer.

And speaking of support, I'm thrilled to announce that Cru is proudly presented by Monday Wine!

Monday Wine is a pioneering digital marketing agency dedicated to empowering wineries and growing their direct-to-consumer sales. If you're a winery looking to enhance your direct-to-consumer revenue, expand your mailing list, or attract more passionate wine club members, head over to Monday.Wine to apply for their exceptional services. That’s Monday.Wine to apply.

Thank you for joining me on this exhilarating journey through the world of wine. I’m just getting started, and I couldn't be more excited to share these captivating episodes with you. Stay tuned and subscribe!

-Chappy, host

Episodes can be listened to on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or CruPodcast.com

You can find Cru on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Simply search for Cru Wine Podcast, and our exhilarating episodes will be right at your fingertips.

And speaking of support, I'm thrilled to announce that Cru is proudly presented by Monday Wine!

-Chappy, host

Previous Episode

How to Visually Tell Your Story with Heather Daenitz

Heather Daenitz is the founder and photographer of Craft & Cluster, a photography and social media consulting company focusing on brands in the wine and beer industries!

It was while working for a vineyard management company in Santa Barbara County that Heather rediscovered her love of photography and found a previously unknown interest in social media management. She was asked to start an Instagram account to showcase the practices of the company and decided that if she was going to do this social media thing, she was going to do it right; opting to only post high quality, original images that told a story.

After almost two years of photographing, upgrading her camera equipment, and learning everything she could about social media management for the company she worked for, she decided it was time to create her own business. She wanted to help wineries and breweries create beautiful imagery that would tell the stories behind their brands. Thus, Craft & Cluster was born!

In this episode we dig into the years of learnings, practices, experimenting, and trial and error that Heather has gone through to now being a sough after wine industry photographer. There are only a handful of incredible photographers in the California wine industry that I consider to be top notch, and Heather is one of them. She’s going to give us some very useful strategies and tactics when it comes to visually telling our stories in an authentic manner, how to take your own gorgeous photos when you can’t hire pros like her, and some fantastic resources to use as a constant reference. We previously recorded this chat via Instagram Live, so there are a few times were we take audience questions from Instagram and the interview lends itself to being more of a natural conversation. Some resources • StoryBrand • Later App • Plan That

Find Heather On... Website Instagram

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Next Episode

An Upsidedown Journey into Washington State Wine with Seth & Audrey Kitzke

Seth & Audrey Kitzke (@UsDoingWine) grow and make Upsidedown Wines, Kitzke Cellars, and The Devil is a Liar based in Richland, Washington.

About The Podcast Episode

To kick us off with the first episode of the relaunch of the Cru wine industry podcast, I sat down with Washington State’s dynamic duo behind Upsidedown Wine, Kitzke Cellars, and The Devil is a Liar, Seth and Audrey Kitzke.

I’m so excited to be back with the first podcast episode in a few years. I’m looking forward to sharing some wonderful conversations with the legends and disruptors of the wine industry in the coming weeks and months. So you’ll want to be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcasting app and leave a review!

You can find full show notes at CruPodcast.com

About Seth & Audrey Kitzke

Seth and Audrey reside in Richland, Washington where they grow and make wine for Upsidedown Wine, The Devil is a Liar, and their family label, Kitzke Cellars. Seth grew up planting the vineyard with his dad, not knowing that one day he would be making the wine. He had a career shift in 2014 and went back to school to study Enology at the Northwest Wine Academy in Seattle.

He then went on to work with Charles Smith, Brennon Leighton, Brian Carter, and Charlie Hoppes before moving back to Eastern Washington to take over winemaking for Kitzke Cellars and starting their labels. Seth & Audrey have immense respect for the land and the grapes that they grow. Striving to produce the very best fruit while staying true to the region’s unique terroir.

They have a two-year-old daughter, Sage, whose curiosity usually leads her into the vineyard and winery with Mom and Dad.

Our Podcast Partner

Before we get into the episode, I would be remiss to tell you about our presenting podcast partner, Monday Wine.

Monday Wine helps wineries grow their direct-to-consumer sales with digital marketing strategies and tactics that actually work. They'll save you time, headaches, and money while growing your mailing list, wine club, and DTC revenue. If you own or are responsible for the sales and marketing of a winery and growing your DTC sales has been a struggle, click the link in the show description or visit their website at Monday.Wine to apply for their services.

Our Affiliate Partner

This episode of Cru is also brought to you in affiliation with Notion.

If you’re anything like me, you probably have anywhere from 15-20 different browser tabs open at one time, too many Excel sheets, and multiple projects you’re trying to manage. To keep your head above water you’re probably using too many tools. And things are a little, maybe a lot, chaotic, I would venture to guess. You can silently nod your head in agreement.

With Notion, all your work can be done in one place. You can easily collaborate with team members at the same time or across various teams and time zones. I use Notion for managing and publishing this entire podcast. I also use it in my marketing agency to manage my daily operations and everything for my clients. It’s a seamless experience between desktop and mobile. From managing a social media content calendar to planning and forecasting an entire wine release, I use Notion to manage it all. Get started with Notion for free today!