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Move over girls, there's a new sister in town. Canopy Management Wine Company has introduced the newest Middle Sister wine. Called Sweet & Sassy Moscato, the wine was crowd-sourced by followers of the Wine Sisterhood, Canopy's 10,000+ member digital community dedicated to conversations and consumer research about the world of wine.

Says Canopy founder and CMO Terry Wheatley:

 "We noticed Moscato's growing popularity and polled our Wine Sisterhood to see if they would be interested in purchasing a Middle Sister varietal Moscato. They overwhelmingly voted in favor of a Middle Sister Moscato and also selected the name "Sweet and Sassy."

Canopy Management is the first wine company to use social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and Zoomerang to directly enlist its core consumer base in the creation of new wines."

Middle Sister Sweet and Sassy is premium California Moscato. The wine is the sweetest in the Middle Sister portfolio with 4% residual sugar, 12% alcohol and crisp acidity for a light and refreshing taste.

Middle Sister Sweet and Sassy Moscato, the first Middle Sister of Color, debuted recently at the Blogalicious Weekend in Miami Beach, Florida, a conference dedicated to celebrating female voices of diversity in the blogosphere.

Explains Terry Wheatley:

"The Wine Sisterhood believes wine should taste good, be a fair value, and make life more enjoyable for anybody who chooses to partake. Before we launched Sweet and Sassy Moscato, we brought her picture across the country and asked women of all backgrounds and ethnicities what they thought of her. Our wine sisters unanimously agreed that is was important to recognize the diversity of women who love wine. That's why we have made a sister of color the face of our new wine. "

Another innovation is the addition of a QR code on the back label.  A QR (quick response) Code is a matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by QR scanners, mobile phones with a camera, and smartphones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data. The QR code on the back label of Middle Sister Sweet and Sassy Moscato links to a fact sheet with detailed information about the wine, including technical data and food pairings.

May 1, 2010

MIDDLE SISTER WINES CREATES "HELP A SISTER OUT" AND
WELCOMES TWO NEW SISTERS TO THE FAMILY



Goody Two Shoes Pinot Noir and Surfer Chick Sauvignon Blanc

May 1, 2010.  Napa, CA. Canopy Management, a wine creation, sales and marketing company based in Napa Valley, California, has introduced some exciting new additions to the Middle Sister wine portfolio-a female-focused  charitable campaign and two new varietals.

Through the "Help A Sister Out" project, Middle Sister wines makes a contribution to DRESS FOR SUCCESS, a national organization empowering underprivileged women to achieve financial independence through professional development. Middle Sister wine also supports other charitable organizations dedicated to helping women and children including Wine, Women and Shoes, a fundraising event founded by Napa Valley's female vintners.

Goody Two Shoes Pinot Noir and Surfer Chick Sauvignon Blanc join the other "Middle Sisters" which include Rebel Red, Wicked White, Smarty Pants Chardonnay, Forever Young Merlot, Drama Queen Pinot Grigio and Mischief Maker Cabernet Sauvignon. "We're thrilled to launch our new wines with the announcement of the "Help A Sister Out" campaign explains Canopy Management founder and Chief Marketing Officer Terry Wheatley. "As a wine company with female ownership and partners, we believe it is important to give back to other women."

Another Canopy wine, Purple Cowboy, is the official wine of Tough Enough To Wear Pink?, the western community campaign devoted to raising funds and breast cancer awareness through a series of rodeo events.

Middle Sister Wines were created by Canopy Management in June, 2008. The wines were inspired by the quirky middle sister of one of the founding partners. The Canopy team developed unique names, appearances and personalities for each wine. The characters are whimsically illustrated and their personal stories appear on the back label.

Rebel Red, the unofficial "spokesister" of the clan, hosts her own Face Book fan page, Twitter site and monthly newsletter. Rebel has gained a cult following for her snarky comments and off-the-wall wit and wisdom, and makes frequent guest appearances at tastings and events. She also presides over all the action at www.middlesisterwine.com, FB Lovers of Middle Sister Wines, FB Rebel Red, Twitter @rebelred.

The portfolio has garnered over 50 gold, silver and bronze medals at major wine competitions. The wine is sourced from premium California winegrowing regions and blended in Sonoma County by one of the industry's most respected winemakers.
         
About Canopy Management

Canopy Management is a wine creation, sales and marketing company based in Napa Valley, California. Their mission is to bring innovation to the wine marketplace with a portfolio that engages and entertains, over-delivers quality and offers outstanding value. Canopy Management is the founder of the Wine Sisterhood�, a pioneering concept in market research and consumer conversation which uses the tools of digital media to connect consumers to the creation of the next new wine brand.  The Canopy portfolio includes Middle Sister, PromisQous, Monogamy, Purple Cowboy, Kate and Cassie, Deep Purple, Good Daughter, Little Chica, Cocca di Papa, Haute Red and White Haute.

Click here for a list of local DRESS FOR SUCESS chapters.

January 1, 2010

PROFILE: Successful Sister: Middle Sister Personality: Forever Cool Merlot Meet our girl in the valley. Natalie is Director, Sales and Marketing for Canopy Management wines and a founding member of the Wine Sisterhood. A graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in Wine Business, Natalie began her career in the research department of Sutter Home/Trinchero Family Estates, and managed marketing projects for the National Accounts team before joining Canopy Management. Among her many talents, we especially appreciate Natalie's passion for food, wine and friends and how she mashes them all up in her own signature style. This makes Natalie our go-to girl whenever we want the scoop on the hot new dinner spot, a soon-to-be-famous winery, or the event to be at on a Saturday night. We joke that Natalie knows everybody in the Napa Valley, but that's not far off the mark. Need the perfect spot to propose? Natalie will ring up her friend the concierge at Napa's most romantic inn. Want a private tasting at an appointment-only winery? Natalie will make a call. You get the picture. Natalie is an avid bocce player on a team called "Joanie Loves Bocce" and as an accomplished home chef, is a member of an active and ambitious St. Helena cookbook club. Every so often she leaves the clubhouse a bit early to whip up paella or something else with way more steps than are necessary on a Wednesday night. Natalie and our friend Helen Jane Hearn also founded Cheese Whizzes, a Napa Valley social group devoted to the enjoyment of cheese and wine. No less than Food and Wine Magazine fell in love with the concept, and featured Natalie, Helen Jane and the Cheese Whizzes in their December 2009 entertaining issue. Natalie's network of friends and influencers goes beyond the Napa Valley. She recently attended the kick-off event of New York Fashion Week, the Red Dress Show,as a guest of the show's creative director, and has provided us with Facebook updates from the East Village and McSorley's Wonderful Saloon. Natalie has been part of the Tough Enough To Wear Pink? breast cancer awareness project from its inception, and is our point person for Dress for Success and Wine, Women and Shoes, female-focused charities that the Wine Sisterhood and our portfolio of wine proudly support. Look for Natalie and her black pug Minkie, on the bocce courts at Crane Park, St, Helena. Minky is the pug with her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth. Or send Natalie an email if you and your sisters are coming to the Valley.We're sure she'll have some ideas on how to make your visit both memorable and delicious. Know somebody who would be perfect for a Successful Sister profile? Or maybe it's you! Submit your stories to us and be sure to mention which Middle Sister personality profile most closely matches. Hint: go to our contest page and take the quiz!