#Chardonnay Day ~ What’s it all About?

May 26th 2011 is the 2nd annual Chardonnay Day – a global celebration of one of the world’s favourite winegrape varieties through social media. So what is Chardonnay Day all about, how can you get involved and what does it mean for your business?

What is #Chardonnay Day all about?

The idea behind Chardonnay Day is to celebrate Chardonnay, in all its myriad styles, over a 24 hour period wherever you are in the world, using social media as the thread that connects the global conversation together. It’s really as simple as sharing a conversation over a glass of wine, whether in a virtual or physical location. Everyone can get involved – simply use the #chardonnay hashtag in posts and tweets on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Foursquare, Gowalla or your social networking platform of choice.

Virtual tastings, often in the form of tweetups, are regularly taking place on social media sites, particularly Twitter, as a new way to bring wine fans together. By using a universal hashtag based around a specific theme such as #chardonnay, winemakers, sommeliers, retailers and consumers can all come together to discuss and learn about their favourite wines. Groups of wine lovers will also get together at a physical meetups such as Taste & Tweets to taste wines together, while at the same time following the global conversation on Twitter. Conversations will be taking place at various times around the world, depending on your local time zone, but in Australia most tasting events and conversations will take place between 4pm and 9pm AEST.

How you can get involved in #Chardonnay Day

Join in the #Chardonnay Day tweetup on May 26th

The entire day will be devoted to focusing on Chardonnay and discussing Chardonnay styles. Grab your favourite Chardonnays, wooded, unwooded or sparkling, and get involved by tasting and tweeting about the wines as you taste. You can register your involvement on the official #Chardonnay Day page to show your support. Use #chardonnay in your tweets and follow the stream of tweets as other Chardonnay lovers around the world post their comments.

Organise your own #Chardonnay Meetup

Why not get together with some local Chardonnay lovers and organise your own meetup? Get people tasting and tweeting about their favourite Chardonnays. Perhaps you can get together with others in your area to tell your regional story. Set up a big screen and follow the #chardonnay conversation on Twitterfall. Whether it’s at a winery cellar door, local restaurant, bar, wine store or at home with friends and family over a Chardonnay themed dinner, there are many ways you can get together to share in the Chardonnay fun. Find out where your nearest #Chardonnay Meetup is being held ~ or start your own.

Start promoting Chardonnay in the lead up to #Chardonnay Day

If you have a winery, restaurant, bar or wine store, think about ways you can promote Chardonnay and engage consumers during the lead up to Chardonnay Day. Promote different styles and start getting your consumers talking about their favourite Chardonnays. Consider offering special Chardonnay packs with tasting notes and tweetup instructions through your Cellar Door; create unique food matches with Chardonnay; or offer an exciting range of Chardonnays by the glass in your bar or restaurant. Or perhaps hold a Chardonnay wine dinner – there are more than enough styles of Chardonnay to take you through the entire meal. Wine retailers might team up with wineries to hold in-store tastings and Chardonnay celebrations. Talk to consumers about different styles of Chardonnay and the different regions Chardonnay comes from. Do whatever you can to help consumers feel comfortable talking about their favourite Chardonnays in person or online.

Share your #Chardonnay information

Start sharing your Chardonnay related photos, videos, events, tips, education, news and tasting notes on social networking platforms. Get creative and shoot some videos showing your winemakers discussing Chardonnay and post them to YouTube. Offer Chardonnay specials on Foursquare. Create a Chardonnay page on your website to educate consumers. Start engaging with consumers about all things Chardonnay. Chardonnay is one of the world’s most popular grape varieties, with a massive consumer following, so now’s the time to introduce the world to your Chardonnay. Don’t forget to use the #chardonnay hashtag in all your communications so that others can follow you in the global conversation.

What #Chardonnay day means for your business

The sole purpose of #Chardonnay Day is for businesses and consumers to engage and connect over this much-loved wine style. Chardonnay Day provides you with an opportunity to start engaging with consumers, hopefully developing into a healthy relationship with your brand. In the meantime, you might pick up a few incremental sales. But this is not a day that’s about selling – it’s all about engaging consumers, about caring about those you are sharing a conversation with, while their attention is focused on a topic they’re truly passionate about.

So whatever you choose to do on #Chardonnay Day, get involved, celebrate Chardonnay and above all, have fun!

Cheers!

Read more about Chardonnay Day:

Why Wineries, Sommeliers & Wine Shops Should Participate in #Chardonnay Day

Get Involved in #Chardonnay Day on 26 May