Welcome to
IV Wine Group
With over three decades of experience spanning every facet of the wine industry, Erle Martin IV leads the IV Wine Group. Recognizing the current challenges facing wineries, IV Wine Group offers a range of services designed to harness Erle’s and his associate’s expertise for the benefit of wine businesses worldwide.
What We Do
IV Wine Group’s cornerstone service is a comprehensive diagnostic analysis of a winery’s current operations, pinpointing key areas for growth and untapped strengths. This analysis serves as the foundation for a strategic roadmap, meticulously crafted to deliver measurable results.
Business & Sales Alignment
Route to Market Analysis & Optimization
Market Evaluation
About us
In most cases, quick fixes are not the answer. Our priority is to develop sustainable, long-term solutions in the competitive and ever-evolving sales environment. We look forward to sharing our experience and expertise with you, and together, we’ll craft the right strategy for your success.
Erle Martin IV is the founder and principal of the IV Wine Group. With decades of experience in all key facets of the wine industry—from grape growing and winemaking to packaging, branding, and promotional strategies—Erle brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. His expertise extends into the crucial element of sales, including route-to-market planning for both distribution and direct-to-consumer channels.
Testimonials
Bruce Neyers, Neyers Vineyards
Services
We tailor our services to the client needs. The core of our business services is the three-phase process outlined on our site. Upon delivery we are available to provide support through implementation and execution including a fractional CEO model.
Phase 1 | Diagnostic.
Begins with a deep dive into historical results, trends and activities, allowing us to understand the foundational characteristics of the business. What’s working and where the opportunities lie.
Phase 2 | Strategic plan development.
With the learnings uncovered in Phase 1, coupled with market intelligence and competitive analysis, a strategic roadmap is built.
Phase 3 | Presentation and Implementation.
The findings are shared with the client. Upon acceptance a roadmap for implementation is designed
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This Time It’s Different
In 1991, Sixty Minutes ran its now-famous segment hosted by Morley Safer titled “The French Paradox.” The core of the story was that the lower incidence of heart disease in France—despite their rich diet—was attributed to their consumption of red wine. Overnight, supermarket shelves emptied of red wines, and America’s modern love affair with wine was off and running. And it’s been a good run. With a hiccup or two along the way—think tech segment meltdown, sub-prime housing mortgage crisis, or the Great Recession of 2007-2009—the wine business has always rebounded and marched merrily forward, proving itself ever-resilient and a staple in the new American lifestyle.
Is that run over? I don’t think it’s over, but I do believe we are facing an unprecedented number of factors which will challenge the market. What the market is facing now are more core structural shifts than temporary blows driven by overall economic pressures. Count among the factors: Boomers, who drove much of the upswing, are now aging out and drinking less as well. Millennials and Gen-Z’s shifting relationship with alcohol in general. Sober-curious anyone? The substitute options have never been more abundant; Covid spawned ‘ready-to-drink’ beverages when during lockdown we couldn’t get our favorite cocktail. Add to that, Cannabis-infused drinks, smart drinks, low and no-alcohol options…the choices are seemingly unlimited. This is a shift in many of the fundamentals that have underpinned the buoyancy of the wine business for four decades.
So what to do about it? Start by throwing out the old rulebook. The consumers that led most of the growth are gone, and the consumers replacing them in their prime consumption years want something else. Different experiences. Different choices. Simple tactics like lowering prices and line extensions are not going to get it done. The consumers who are emerging into their prime earning—and thereby consuming—years must be cultivated on their terms. If I am a winery owner or marketer, I am making it my business to understand the new consumer deeply. Patterns, habits, and expectations change. If you were making typewriters and fax machines 20 years ago and didn’t adapt, you are out of business. Failing to recognize shifting perceptions and expectations in the marketplace is a recipe for obsolescence.
I have great confidence that wine will be on our tables for another 6,000 years, but the rising tide that has supported our industry for decades is now going out. Those failing to recognize the fundamental changes will be left behind.