Winery Newsletter Comes to Life with Digital Magazine Technology

Our first newsletter, Estate Tales, debuted just before John Jordan took the reins about five years ago. The glossy, oversized, print publication has been a colorful way to share behind-the-scenes stories about the Jordan Estate with our daily winery guests and loyal customers. With the print world changing rapidly in recent years,  we’ve decided to give our 2011 edition of Estate Tales a dynamic media makeover.

Using the latest in digital magazine page flip technology, we’ve redesigned Estate Tales for the enjoyment of those who read publications online via computers and iPads. The visually engaging, dynamic publication boasts 54 pages of food, wine, viticulture, green business, news and hospitality stories, intermingled with gorgeous photographs by legendary food photographer Matt Armendariz. You can explore the new Estate Tales by turning the pages with your mouse, which mimics traditional page turning with your fingers. Or you can swipe the screen of your iPad with your finger to turn the page. To zoom in, you simply click your mouse once or tap your iPad screen. (View all editions of Estate Tales at jordanwinery.com.)

Newsletter highlights include:

• Reflection on 35 Years of Winemaking by Winemaker Rob Davis
• The Art of Wood-Fired Cooking by Executive Chef Todd Knoll
• The latest news and reward offers from Jordan Estate Rewards
• A sneak peek at our spring 2011 wine and extra virgin olive oil releases
• A new report on our extensive vineyard soil mapping project
• Praise for our energy reduction efforts, sustainability and green business practices
• Recommended pantry items and kitchen gadgets from our chef

We would love to get your thoughts on this new format. Do you like the page flip technology? Do you enjoy reading it more than a traditional PDF? What do you think of the story topics and length?

If you’re planning to visit us at the winery this year, you’ll have the opportunity to peruse our newsletter in a new print format and on our concierge’s iPad, beginning May 2011. (We’ve fully embraced the iPad in our workplace, and John Jordan even gave each of us an iPad for Christmas last year.)

3DIssue is still working out some of the bugs in its digital publication software; there are a couple of problems with the share toolbar on the left-hand side, and the iPad version includes blue boxes around the hyperlinks. But overall, we’re very happy with Estate Tales’ new look and will be continuing to fine-tune the newsletter functionality as software updates become available.