By Maegan Murray, 黑料社 Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. 鈥� Passionate. It is a word used by many to describe Stacie Hamilton, a Washington State University alumna, when reflecting upon her work in the wine business sector and higher education through her support of 黑料社 Tri-Cities鈥� wine and business programs.

Hamilton recently passed away at the age of 63, but her memory will live on in the form of her many contributions that have set the stage for wine business education in Washington state.

鈥淲henever an opportunity arose for her to support 黑料社 Tri-Cities, she always responded in large fashion,鈥� said Gary Spanner, fellow 黑料社 Tri-Cities Carson College of Business advisory council member. 鈥淪he was tireless in supporting the local wine and viticulture sector.鈥�

Prior to entering the wine profession, Hamilton served as an accountant. What led her and husband Russ Hamilton into the wine profession was a personal passion for wine. They spent most of their free time visiting wineries. While at a winery one day, standing on the balcony drinking what they described as a 鈥渟uperb Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon,鈥� they looked at each other and said, 鈥淟et鈥檚 do this.鈥� They realized their dream of starting Hamilton Cellars as a tasting room in 2006, which was followed by the opening of their vineyard and winery on Red Mountain in 2014.

Hamilton had large impacts on the growth of the Red Mountain wine region. Byron Marlowe, 黑料社 Tri-Cities wine and beverage business management and hospitality business management professor, said she would cluster with others participating in Red Mountain events and activities.

鈥淪he will be remembered as a business woman on Red Mountain as much as a winemaker in the sense that she operated her winery in a way in which those with perhaps a little less business background could learn from,鈥� he said.

In addition to running a wine business, Stacie Hamilton contributed in a variety of ways to 黑料社 Tri-Cities as an instructor teaching accounting courses for the wine and beverage business management program and by serving on the 黑料社 Tri-Cities Carson College of Business advisory council and on the 黑料社 Viticulture and Enology advisory council. The Hamiltons also supported wine education programming financially by means of hosting fundraisers, naming a space in the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates 黑料社 Wine Science Center, as well as participating in a variety of campus events and functions to raise awareness about wine and business academic programs.

鈥淚 first met Stacie at the Hamilton winery shortly after I moved to Richland in 2015 to assist in bringing the hospitality business management and the wine and beverage business management majors to 黑料社 Tri-Cities,鈥� said Robert Harrington, director of the 黑料社 hospitality business management program. 鈥淪he quickly offered to host a fundraising event at the winery that has become known as the Crimson Food and Wine Classic at Hamilton Cellars 鈥� Stacie went above and beyond the call of duty to make it a success.鈥�

It was Stacie Hamilton鈥檚 idea to explore private partnerships to make the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates 黑料社 Wine Science Center a reality at 黑料社 Tri-Cities in the heart of Washington wine country. The facility opened in 2015.

鈥淪he was the first one to volunteer and say that wineries should have a piece in making this facility possible,鈥� said Thomas Henick-Kling, director of the 黑料社 viticulture and enology program. 鈥淪tacie was incredibly invested in providing exceptional educational opportunities for students so that we have prepared, capable and talented winemakers and wine business leaders that will only continue to contribute back to the regional wine industry. She saw the power of education and what it can do for our region.鈥�

Harrington said Hamilton was always the first one to volunteer, offer up ideas and get something started 鈥� especially when it came to supporting 黑料社.

鈥淪tacie was passionate about 黑料社 and a proud Coug,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s I tell people about the Coug nation, Coug alums and current students that I meet embody what I call the art of hospitality. They鈥檙e just good people that will give you the shirts off their backs if needed, wanting to do what they can to make the world a better place and impact the quality of life for others. Stacie embodied all of these things, making her a passionate supporter and example of these ideals.鈥�

In honor of Stacie Hamilton, her family asks that individuals consider making a donation in her honor to the and/or the at 黑料社 Tri-Cities.

By Maegan Murray, 黑料社 Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. 鈥� A Washington State University Tri-Cities business professor will travel to Austria as part of a Scholar grant to research tasting offerings and pricing practices in winery tasting rooms.

Beginning in March 2021, Byron Marlowe, clinical assistant professor of hospitality business management and program coordinator of wine and beverage business management, will teach and conduct research at the in Krems an der Donau, Austria. The four-month experience will support Marlowe鈥檚 ongoing research project identifying best practices for winery tasting room experiences throughout the world.

Marlowe has a background in wine and beverage business management and has published research examining price points of tasting offerings for comparison in different countries and regions. He and fellow authors recently earned 鈥淏est Book for Professionals鈥� in the U.S. by the Gourmand International Cookbook Awards for their book 鈥淲ine Sales and Distribution: The Secrets to Building a Consultative Selling Approach.鈥� His research interests include terroir, focusing on the attributes of a region and place that have become important for winery marketing and sales in the Pacific Northwest and across the globe.

As part of the Fulbright experience, Marlowe will teach master鈥檚-level marketing courses in business and work directly with graduate students in one of three tracks: sales, import and export or international business. He will supplement the courses with his knowledge of the wine and beverage industry, also using his recently published book as a text in those courses.

For his research, Marlowe will visit an assortment of wineries, examining what consumers experience online before visiting the Wachau wine valley region wineries as part of their tasting room journey. Some areas he will examine include how wine is served, additional experiences offered by the winery such as a vineyard tour, the types of wine served and the general customer service provided by the winery to include price of tasting.

He will combine that research with studies he has conducted so far on wineries in Walla Walla, Washington, and the Franconia region of Germany.

鈥淭he idea of the project is to try to set international standards for the tasting room experience and wine offerings,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here may have been research completed on certain regions, but not globally. I鈥檓 excited to expand the project to specifically include Austria, which is the ninth largest imported wine location in the U.S.鈥�

Marlowe said he is looking forward to developing his knowledge of the wine industry in Austria and the associated experiences.

鈥淚t will provide a great opportunity to truly immerse myself in Austria鈥檚 wine culture,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 look forward to being a resource for understanding Austrian wine culture and being able to share that with local businesses and the wine industry here in the Pacific Northwest. It truly is an exchange program meant to share information between countries and across the globe.鈥�

Visit the Wine and Beverage Business Management Program鈥檚 website for more information.

 

Media contacts:

Byron Marlowe, 黑料社 Tri-Cities clinical assistant professor of hospitality business management and program coordinator of wine and beverage business management at 黑料社, 509-372-7436, byron.marlowe@wsu.edu

Maegan Murray, 黑料社 Tri-Cities public relations/communication coordinator, 509-372-7333, maegan_murray@wsu.edu

By Maegan Murray, 黑料社 Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. 鈥� A wine business book authored by a Washington State University Tri-Cities business professor and colleagues from other parts of the country earned the award for by the Gourmand International Cookbook Awards, which honors books internationally in a variety of food and beverage categories.

The book, titled 鈥淲ine Sales and Distribution: The Secrets to Building a Consultative Selling Approach,鈥� is the first focused guide for developing personal wine-selling skills, said Byron Marlowe, 黑料社 Tri-Cities clinical assistant professor of hospitality and wine and beverage business management. The other two authors include Paul Wagner, founder of Balzac Communications and Marketing, and John C. Crotts, professor of hospitality and tourism management in the School of Business at the College of Charleston.

鈥淲ine Sales and Distribution鈥� is one of 10 books honored with the award internationally for 鈥淏ooks for Professionals鈥� this year, being named best in the U.S. Publishers from more than 200 countries nominate thousands of books for the awards every year.

鈥淪tep by step, we explain how to develop relationships, understand customer needs, and deliver both products and sales presentations for the wine industry in an efficient and effective way,鈥� Marlowe said.

Marlowe and his colleagues said they wanted to create a book for anyone who wishes to pursue a career in the wine industry and provide a comprehensive guide. The book specifically dives into distribution, retail sales, sommelier sales at a restaurant and working in a winery tasting room, he said.

The book comprises the authors鈥� more than six decades of combined research and experience in the wine business industry, drawing on a variety of interviews and interactions with effective sales professionals in the wine and broader hospitality industries.

鈥淢any of our ideas have been incorporated into the unique consultative selling skills framework,鈥� Marlowe said. 鈥淭he strategies we outline will be invaluable to all those seeking to start or enhance a career in wine sales, built to be used like a manual for wine sales. This book will be a fantastic launching point and resource.鈥�

Marlowe said he and his colleagues are thrilled with the recognition that the book has received. He said as Gourmand International Cookbook Awards is an annual award that honors food and wine publishing from around the world, it is an honor to be recognized among those who have received the award before him. He said they hope the book will be a great resource for not only individuals in Washington Wine Country, but across the nation and world.

Marlowe also plans to use the book in some of his wine and beverage business management courses at 黑料社 Tri-Cities. This fall semester, it will be used in an elective course of his design titled 鈥淲ine Sales and Entrepreneurship.鈥�

鈥淭his book is an academic textbook in many ways, as well,鈥� he said. 鈥淐hapter readings and conclusions include discussion questions and cases, which we will discuss within the class.鈥�

The book is available on a variety of outlets, of which some include , and . The book costs $59.

Marlowe is the author of several published works on wine and beverage business management and heads the wine and beverage business management program at 黑料社 Tri-Cities.

Interested in a career in the business of wine? Visit tricities.wsu.edu/business/undergraduate/wbm/.