Understanding wine marketing is essential for success
Winemakers from the Kvarner and Croatian Littoral wine subregions (from the Opatija - Rijeka - Vinodol and Krk wine regions) joined forces in 2021 to form the Winemakers' Cooperative, the Kvarner Wine Producers' Organization.
Given that the first goal of the wine association, which also includes the Žlahtina Association and the Kvarner Quality Association, was marketing promotion, the winemakers, that is, the members of the association, very quickly felt the benefits, i.e. the increase in competitiveness, of this strategic association. In addition to the winemakers themselves, the benefits of association have been recognized by the local and regional self-government, as well as by the local and regional tourism community.
The first, very tangible benefit for winemakers was better visibility and brand recognition on the market by branding the region and products under the common denominator Kvarner. In addition, the marketing budget for winemakers, or rather their products, was significantly increased by appearing at all major Croatian and regional wine and tourism events.
If the vineyard is the starting point for the creation of good wine, wine is also the starting point for thinking about wine marketing (Hall, SM and Mitchell, R.: Wine Marketing). Winemakers from Kvarner have a good product and it was necessary to unify and systematize wine marketing. One of the basic components of wine marketing is definitely joining forces in order to differentiate themselves from other producers and take advantage of joint marketing activities. According to the "Marketing course", marketing means increasing the value of wine through differentiation in relation to your competitors - offering something that your competitors do not offer or offering something in a different way (e.g. wines and sparkling wines from indigenous grape varieties); satisfying the needs of consumers in order to sell wine specifically to them (e.g. light, one-year-old, fresh, fruity wines) and contacting consumers in a way that they will appreciate and respect (e.g. festivals, media, social networks). In addition to joining forces and joint marketing activities towards consumers, the basic pillars of marketing are also appearances at eno-gastro festivals and awards that come to the wine region. Therefore, since its establishment, Kvarner Wines' marketing has been focused on appearances at all major festivals in Croatia and surrounding countries, as well as the organization and appearances at festivals in Kvarner. Competitions to which winemakers send their samples greatly contribute to the visibility of the region and the winemakers themselves.
Wine is art, and every winemaker/oenologist is an artist who, with their knowledge, but also inspiration and desire for a different drink, using their knowledge, but also researching, creates a true work of art. A bottle of wine is an exceptionally multi-layered work of art – starting from the Dionysian drink itself, which is art in itself, through the bottle, which also represents a certain art, and all the way to the labels, which are real small works of art (from Pablo Picasso and the label for Mouton Rothschild, labels that attract attention with their shape and interestingness, to wine painting – winemaker labels). The special edition Žlahtina from the Nada winery, which was created on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the Nada restaurant/tavern, is a true representative of wine as a work of art. What the vineyard gives, and the cellar tames in the bottle, unfiltered Žlahtina, with its beautiful shiny golden color, aromas of škoj – sage and Tramuntana herbs, minerality and special freshness, leaves you breathless and asks for a few more glasses. And the label, a painting by the famous multimedia artist (visual artist, painter, jazz musician) Vedran Ružić, depicting the nighttime Vrbnik port, "gives the whole story a happy ending."„
Zarko Stilin – „Friendship is the wine of life“ and „Knowledge and self-confidence“ are the basic guiding thoughts and life principles of this marketer throughout his life, which he proved by obtaining a doctoral degree in the field of economics, i.e. marketing, as well as by launching the Kvarner Wines project. On his initiative, the Winemakers' Cooperative, the Kvarner Wine Production Organization, was founded in 2021, of which he has been the director since the beginning, and the Kvarner Quality Association, which aims to encourage excellence in agricultural and food products, which together with the Žlahtina Association make up the Kvarner Wines Association. Since 2017, he has been organizing the International Wine and Gastro Festival WineRi in Rijeka and participating in many wine and gastro events in Kvarner, Croatia and neighboring countries. He is a Level 1 sommelier in the Croatian Sommelier Club and is a bon vivant with style.
