Local Winery Recreates The Customer Experience During Coronavirus
Wine is a social creature and with social distancing and sheltering in place it seems like wine sales could be going down the drain. Suburban Chicago's Lynfred Winery is battling the temporary closing of its tasting rooms due to coronavirus with creativity.
"We had an emergency meeting a week ago with our team and instantly got inventive with ways to stay ahead of upcoming closures and limitations" says Lynfred's general manager, Andres Basso.
The winery quickly implemented curbside service with 'blue glove service' implementing sanitary blue glove deliveries to customer's cars.
"We didn't let the news get to us, instead we created a reserve wine case sale for our wine club members that kept us hopping all weekend long", Basso stated.
Lynfred even created a 'Lynfred & Chill' to-go bag complete with wine, popcorn, cheese, sausage and chocolate.
Trying to keep wine social, the winery has been hosting live Facebook events and promoting virtual selfies of wine pickups.
"On St. Patrick's Day our Wheeling tasting room hosted a Facebook Live suggesting the best wines for corned beef and bangers and mash. On Wednesday our winemaker's hosted a virtual wine tasting of our new reserve chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon wines", says Lynfred marketing director Christina Anderson-Heller. "This week we plan on hosting a virtual tasting focusing on suggested wines for taking that beach or ski vacation in your living room."
The winery has also organized fun wine promotions through April 1, including a gift card promotion that gives buyers a private party for 12, a $400 value, to go alongside any $500 gift card purchase, and $10 shipping on gift baskets, just in time for Easter.
Want to keep social during shelter in place? Join Lynfred on Facebook on Wednesday, March 25, at 5 p.m. for an educational and virtual Wine 101 class.
Winery updates during the coronavirus pandemic will be announced on a continual basis through the Lynfred Winery website at www.lynfredwinery.com
Lynfred Winery, 15 South Roselle Road, Roselle, is the oldest and largest, continuously operating, family winery in Illinois, producing over 70 varietals and 30,000 cases of fine wine per year. Since 1979, Lynfred Winery has offered guests the finest vintages, gourmet cuisine and luxurious lodging. Lynfred is truly one of Chicago's most unique attractions and features additional tasting rooms in Wheaton, Naperville and Wheeling.