From May to October, Prince Edward County does a lot of your marketing for you. Visitors come in from Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, the tasting rooms fill up and a good patio more or less sells itself.
Then Thanksgiving comes and goes, the leaves drop and the traffic on Loyalist Parkway thins right out. The producers who do well over the winter are usually the ones who turned those summer visitors into people who keep buying from them all year.
Build your list while the tasting room is busy
Your busiest Saturday in August is your best chance to make February easier. Give visitors an easy, worthwhile way to stay in touch. A wine club or bottle club with real perks is the obvious one, with things like member-only releases, shipping deals or a free tasting on their next visit. A simple sign-up at the bar, or a card in every bag with a QR code to your online shop, helps too. Just get clear consent when you collect those emails. Our plain-language guide to CASL explains what Canada's anti-spam law expects.
Keep selling to the people who visited
Most of your summer guests live a few hours away. They can't drop in over the winter, but they can still order. If you ship within Ontario, put your online shop front and centre on your website and in every email you send.
A monthly email goes a long way here. Share what's happening in the cellar or the brewhouse, put together a seasonal mixed case and give people a reason to order before the holidays. Our email marketing page explains how we set this up.
Give people a reason to make the winter drive
Winter in the County has its own charm, and the people who visit then tend to be your most loyal fans. Barrel tastings, a release party for a new vintage or a seasonal beer, a pairing dinner with a local chef, holiday shopping days and corporate gift orders in November and December can all bring people back. A few well-promoted events will do more than a busy calendar nobody hears about, so put them on your Google profile, your social channels and in your email, then share photos from the night afterwards.
Show what the County looks like in January
Summer content is easy: sunsets, full glasses and busy patios. Winter content can be just as good, and it stands out because so few producers bother. Pruning in the snow, the first tank of a new batch, the barrel room, your team at work and the quiet vineyard in January all show people this is a real place run by real people. Shoot a batch a few times a year and you'll always have something to post.
Keep your Google profile honest
Winter hours in the County change a lot, and nothing frustrates a visitor more than driving an hour to a locked door. Keep your hours current on Google, mark holiday closures and say clearly if tastings need a booking. Keep replying to reviews too, since next summer's visitors read them while they plan their trip. Our Google Business Profile guide walks you through it.
Advertise, but carefully
A small Meta ad budget aimed at Toronto, Ottawa and Kingston can help promote a release, an event or a holiday shipping deal. Keep the focus on the place, the people and what you make. Ontario has rules for advertising alcohol, so steer clear of anything that promotes heavy drinking or could appeal to people under the legal drinking age.
Before New Day, we both spent years in restaurants, bars and hospitality, and today we work with craft producers like Ridge Rock Brewing Co. on content and social media. If you're in Prince Edward County or nearby, see how we work with wineries and breweries, or book a free discovery call.
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