Lightning in a Bottle: Fresh Ideas for Branding and Marketing
Join us for a no-fluff, practical session for wine brands looking to build a unique branding identity and strong marketing plan to implement effectively on any budget. Our panel will be sharing tangible branding, and marketing strategies, plus a curated list of industry resources and contacts to support your efforts. We will collaborate on how to tell the collective story of sustainable Pacific Northwest winegrowing. Come prepared with ideas and questions and walk away with actionable ideas you can use immediately.
Moderated by
Anna Maria Ponzi | Director of The Center for Wine Education at Linfield University, Past President of Ponzi Vineyards
Anna Maria Ponzi has played a defining role in shaping Oregon wine, growing her family’s small winery operation into an internationally respected brand and helping elevate the Willamette Valley on the world stage. A generous collaborator and longtime ambassador for Oregon wine, she is the author of Pinot Girl, creator of The Four-Ounce Pour keynote, and currently serves as Director of the Center for Wine Education at Linfield University. Her career reflects a deep love for the industry, a commitment to community, and decades of thoughtful leadership. Her credibility is reinforced by numerous honors, including most recently, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oregon Wine Board, the Legacy Builder Award from Chemeketa Community College, and was recognized in 2024 as a Wine Industry Leader by Wine Business Monthly.
With panelists:
Bertony Faustin | Owner/ Winemaker/Changemaker at Abbey Creek Winery, Speaker, Carhartt Brand Ambassador
Bertony Faustin is a pioneering Oregon winemaker, brand builder, founder of Abbey Creek Vineyards, and the first recorded Black winemaker in Oregon. Through bold branding, experiential marketing, and documentary storytelling–including Red, White & Black– Bertony challenges industry norms and expands conversations around diversity and representation. His most recent creative endeavors include crafting a custom Carhartt Suit and sharing his story on Peacock’s new Culture Capital series.
Judiaann Woo | Marketing Consultant, Brand Storyteller, Community Builder, and Podcast Host with a Focus on Food, Travel, People, and Places — Helping Brands Show up with Authenticity, Care, and Connection.
Judiaann Woo was born in South Korea, raised in Oregon, and built her reputation as a tastemaker in New York City before returning to Portland in 2011. She has collaborated with leading chefs, led award-winning marketing campaigns, and shared her culinary and lifestyle expertise on national media platforms. Today, she works as an independent marketing consultant, social media strategist, and content producer focused on food, travel, and community. She also hosts the podcast Food People Are the Best People, and her Instagram (@judiaann) is widely recognized as one of Portland’s top food and travel accounts.
Nori De Vega | Food, Wine, & Hospitality Tastemaker, Mentor for Wine Unify, Digital Marketer & Journalist, and Founder of Tikim PDX
Norievelle De Vega (Nori) was born in Manila, Philippines, and spent her childhood navigating between two worlds: the US and Southeast Asia. The fire in her soul comes from her mother, and as her legacy, it’s Nori’s purpose to make others feel valued, empowered, and well fed. As a creative thought leader with professional roots in enterprise brand marketing, her mission is to claim space for diverse communities and voices. She is a small-business advocate, tastemaker, storyteller, and trusted voice in the food, wine, and hospitality space. Nori has partnered or collaborated with brands and media companies like Eater, Travel + Leisure, Apple, Jackson Family Wines, and more. She's the founder of Tikim, a collective that focuses on the advancement and celebration of Filipino cuisine and culture in the Pacific Northwest. Find Nori on Instagram @nomnom_nori