This episode features a conversation with Barbara Gorder, a consultant to the wine business who recently became the Managing Partner for the Direct to Consumer (DTC) Wine Symposium. We met at the 2025 edition of this conference out in Monterey, CA, and I am currently designing a session for the January 2026 edition on the opening day of the conference that has been inspired by our Sommlympics competition. We talk about how this event has evolved over the years and also how Barbara’s background in marketing and consulting plays into the design of the programming. Barbara is the President of Undisclosed Location, a nationwide creative consulting firm that develops business strategies, marketing plans, and creative work for clients by assembling tailored teams from across the US. She started her career in advertising at Leo Burnett and DDB, creating campaigns for notable clients like General Mills, GM, and Proctor & Gamble. She even launched the Army of One campaign for the US Army while leading new business efforts. She specializes in branding and working with a diverse range of clients, from startups to public companies, so we dive into a conversation about what creativity looks like these days in wine marketing and the value of wine marketing. We even reveal a few details - a podcast exclusive sneak peek - of the 2026 DTC Symposium agenda and featured speakers. We hope this gives you a unique exploration of this segment of the wine industry and offers an intriguing exploration of the current wine marketing landscape. You can follow @dtcws on Instagram and visit www.dtcwinesymposium.com for all the information about the conference.

Recorded August 18, 2025