Balzac is a boutique wine marketing and communications agency that…
- Takes it personally — we’re a small agency, so our clients matter to us, and we take their success seriously on a personal level.
- Keeps it real — we believe the most successful business relationships are those grounded in honesty; we’ll tell you what we think, and want you to do the same.
- Means it literally — when we say we’re going to do something, we do it. When it comes to executing successful campaigns, we make no assumptions and never overlook the details.
- Makes it public — we’re a social team by nature. We’re known to frequent local watering holes and restaurants, in addition to working with top wine organizations and events across the country.
We have a small, but talented team. With a broad range of experience in marketing, communications, strategy, and design, we are experts in our respective fields. Our combination of expertise and industry connections make us a powerful partner for our clients.
Mike Wangbickler is President of Balzac. A descendent of the Austrian “Wagon-builders,” Mike arrived in Sonoma, California by way of Detroit and East Lansing’s “Little Sparta” (East Lansing) neighborhood. Before following his heart to wine country, Mike followed his head to Silicon Valley where he spent 8 fast-paced years in communications, but finally concluded it wasn’t for him. Armed with a “live to eat” motto and an evident passion for wine, Mike entered Balzac’s life in 2004 and became the agency’s President in 2016.
As a studied disciple of Walt Disney, Mike thinks it’s fun to do the impossible. He believes leadership, imagination, and innovation require a certain level of fearlessness and he encourages his team not to play by the rules. If he is the wagon-builder, he leads a team of bandwagonners who are driven forward by the stories that inspire people to share in a dream. It is with this philosophy that he’s guided successful marketing and communications campaigns for more than 70 global wineries and regions from a dozen countries. Among his many achievements, Mike holds a WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wine & Spirits and WSET Level 3 Award in Sake. In addition, he is a Certified Wine Educator (CWE) and WSET Certified Educator.
But he’d trade it all to be a Jedi.
Since 2004
View Full BioMichael Wangbickler
Mike Wangbickler is President of Balzac. A descendent of the Austrian “Wagon-builders,” Mike arrived in Sonoma, California by way of Detroit and East Lansing’s “Little Sparta” (East Lansing) neighborhood. Before following his heart to wine country, Mike followed his head to Silicon Valley where he spent 8 fast-paced years in communications, but finally concluded it wasn’t for him. Armed with a “live to eat” motto and an evident passion for wine, Mike entered Balzac’s life in 2004 and became the agency’s President in 2016.
As a studied disciple of Walt Disney, Mike thinks it’s fun to do the impossible. He believes leadership, imagination, and innovation require a certain level of fearlessness and he encourages his team not to play by the rules. If he is the wagon-builder, he leads a team of bandwagonners who are driven forward by the stories that inspire people to share in a dream. It is with this philosophy that he’s guided successful marketing and communications campaigns for more than 70 global wineries and regions from a dozen countries. Among his many achievements, Mike holds a WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wine & Spirits and WSET Level 3 Award in Sake. In addition, he is a Certified Wine Educator (CWE) and WSET Certified Educator.
But he’d trade it all to be a Jedi.
Since 2004
Agency founder Paul Wagner is the inspiration behind Balzac’s uncompromising approach to marketing. While now retired, he continues to consult on key projects and act as a strategic advisor. He has conceived and managed public relations programs for some of the most critical audiences in the world.
“This business combines the intellectual challenges of chess with the reaction speeds of whitewater rafting,” he says. “There are a phenomenal number of possibilities at every step. Our job is to make the right decisions and make those decisions work. We not only have to win the race – we have to look good doing it.”
Paul is also a founding member of the Academy of Wine Communications and a leading member of the American Wine Society. He regularly lectures on wine throughout the world, and was awarded the “Vida Dedicada Al Vino” prize at FENAVIN in 2009. He was honored as a Spadarino della Castellania de Soave in 2005, and his book, co-authored with Liz Thach and Janeen Olsen, won the Gourmand International award as the best wine book for professionals in 2008. He is also an instructor at the Culinary Institute of America and Napa Valley College.
Since 1992
View Full BioPaul Wagner
Agency founder Paul Wagner is the inspiration behind Balzac’s uncompromising approach to marketing. While now retired, he continues to consult on key projects and act as a strategic advisor. He has conceived and managed public relations programs for some of the most critical audiences in the world.
“This business combines the intellectual challenges of chess with the reaction speeds of whitewater rafting,” he says. “There are a phenomenal number of possibilities at every step. Our job is to make the right decisions and make those decisions work. We not only have to win the race – we have to look good doing it.”
Paul is also a founding member of the Academy of Wine Communications and a leading member of the American Wine Society. He regularly lectures on wine throughout the world, and was awarded the “Vida Dedicada Al Vino” prize at FENAVIN in 2009. He was honored as a Spadarino della Castellania de Soave in 2005, and his book, co-authored with Liz Thach and Janeen Olsen, won the Gourmand International award as the best wine book for professionals in 2008. He is also an instructor at the Culinary Institute of America and Napa Valley College.
Since 1992
With more than twenty-five years of alcoholic beverage experience, ranging from his own craft brewery, Devil Mountain Brewery, to still, sparkling and fortified wines at some of the best-known and most respected domestic and international wineries, Mark adds significant wine and craft beer marketing knowledge to Balzac Communications & Marketing.
As a wine marketing executive he has managed brands for Sebastiani Vineyards, Seagram Chateau Estate & Wines Company, Constellation Wines, White Rocket Wine Company (Kendall-Jackson), Vintage Wine Estates, and most recently, King Estate in Oregon. He has worked from ideation to name generation to package design to marketing, launch and winemaking and production for multiple wine brands both domestic and international, over a range of price points ($5 – $150) and packaging formats (glass, BIB, Tetra Pak).
“Whether you are launching a new brand, revitalizing an existing one or exploring new categories,” says Mark, “I have been in that room. I love to sit down and talk out real-life strategies and then get to work on making it all come true.”
Since 2016
View Full BioMark Feinberg
With more than twenty-five years of alcoholic beverage experience, ranging from his own craft brewery, Devil Mountain Brewery, to still, sparkling and fortified wines at some of the best-known and most respected domestic and international wineries, Mark adds significant wine and craft beer marketing knowledge to Balzac Communications & Marketing.
As a wine marketing executive he has managed brands for Sebastiani Vineyards, Seagram Chateau Estate & Wines Company, Constellation Wines, White Rocket Wine Company (Kendall-Jackson), Vintage Wine Estates, and most recently, King Estate in Oregon. He has worked from ideation to name generation to package design to marketing, launch and winemaking and production for multiple wine brands both domestic and international, over a range of price points ($5 – $150) and packaging formats (glass, BIB, Tetra Pak).
“Whether you are launching a new brand, revitalizing an existing one or exploring new categories,” says Mark, “I have been in that room. I love to sit down and talk out real-life strategies and then get to work on making it all come true.”
Since 2016
As a kid, Adam aspired to be one thing – a garbage man-astronaut. While this dream never materialized, he understood from a young age that he would never just be ONE thing. Today, as the Creative Director of Balzac Communications, he wears many hats as a designer, storyteller, coder, creator.
Through the last 25 years, Adam Sullivan has dedicated his professional life to the power of visual storytelling. As the Creative Director for Napa’s leading wine marketing agency, Adam helps wineries and regional associations better connect with consumers through visual design. Running the gamut from website construction and logo and label design to creating content for social media channels, Adam takes abstract concepts and aesthetics and brings them to life through creative design, arming brands with the tools they need to tell their stories.
Since 2001
View Full BioAdam Sullivan
As a kid, Adam aspired to be one thing – a garbage man-astronaut. While this dream never materialized, he understood from a young age that he would never just be ONE thing. Today, as the Creative Director of Balzac Communications, he wears many hats as a designer, storyteller, coder, creator.
Through the last 25 years, Adam Sullivan has dedicated his professional life to the power of visual storytelling. As the Creative Director for Napa’s leading wine marketing agency, Adam helps wineries and regional associations better connect with consumers through visual design. Running the gamut from website construction and logo and label design to creating content for social media channels, Adam takes abstract concepts and aesthetics and brings them to life through creative design, arming brands with the tools they need to tell their stories.
Since 2001
Emma’s path to wine expertise was inspired by her Mom’s gourmet meals paired with amazing wines, and then by a semester on a homestay in western Spain. She loved the way people there enjoyed wine, and she loved Spanish culture.
On her return her mother suggested a career in wine rather than political science, which she was finishing at Gettysburg College, and things took off from there: For graduation she received a trip to Napa Valley and the Culinary Institute of America’s Wine Lover’s Boot Camp. While there, Emma landed an internship with famed wine writer Karen MacNeil, whom she assisted in the production of the second edition of The Wine Bible.
A year into her internship, Emma returned to the CIA for the rigorous seven-month Accelerated Wine and Beverage Program, where one of her lecturers was our own Paul Wagner. After passing both the CIA program and the Court of Master Sommeliers’ Certified Sommelier exam with flying colors, she followed up with a really impressive job interview at Balzac and was invited to join our staff.
“I feel most wine consumers love wine for the story that goes with it, whether that’s the history of a winery or the memory of how wine became a part of their own lives,” says Emma. “What we do at Balzac plays a big part in helping consumers build that connection.”
Since 2015
View Full BioEmma Thomas
Emma’s path to wine expertise was inspired by her Mom’s gourmet meals paired with amazing wines, and then by a semester on a homestay in western Spain. She loved the way people there enjoyed wine, and she loved Spanish culture.
On her return her mother suggested a career in wine rather than political science, which she was finishing at Gettysburg College, and things took off from there: For graduation she received a trip to Napa Valley and the Culinary Institute of America’s Wine Lover’s Boot Camp. While there, Emma landed an internship with famed wine writer Karen MacNeil, whom she assisted in the production of the second edition of The Wine Bible.
A year into her internship, Emma returned to the CIA for the rigorous seven-month Accelerated Wine and Beverage Program, where one of her lecturers was our own Paul Wagner. After passing both the CIA program and the Court of Master Sommeliers’ Certified Sommelier exam with flying colors, she followed up with a really impressive job interview at Balzac and was invited to join our staff.
“I feel most wine consumers love wine for the story that goes with it, whether that’s the history of a winery or the memory of how wine became a part of their own lives,” says Emma. “What we do at Balzac plays a big part in helping consumers build that connection.”
Since 2015
Casey Morgan
Every family needs a pet, and we have TWO. Maggie is Mark’s six-year-old Labrador and she loves coming to work every day. She bounds into Balzac, races around to the different offices to say hello, and then settles in for the daily grind—on the rug at Mark’s feet. From there, she can see everyone who comes and goes, and greet them as needed. We’re not quite sure what Kobe is… he’s certainly part Labrador, but we think the other part is hound. He’s got a strong personality and loves to knock people over. Deep down, though, he’s just a big goofball. Though their work ethic is questionable (for instance, they sleep on the job daily), their enthusiasm is contagious and they’re an integral part of the Balzac family.
Since 2016/2018
View Full BioMaggie & Kobe
Every family needs a pet, and we have TWO. Maggie is Mark’s six-year-old Labrador and she loves coming to work every day. She bounds into Balzac, races around to the different offices to say hello, and then settles in for the daily grind—on the rug at Mark’s feet. From there, she can see everyone who comes and goes, and greet them as needed. We’re not quite sure what Kobe is… he’s certainly part Labrador, but we think the other part is hound. He’s got a strong personality and loves to knock people over. Deep down, though, he’s just a big goofball. Though their work ethic is questionable (for instance, they sleep on the job daily), their enthusiasm is contagious and they’re an integral part of the Balzac family.
Since 2016/2018
- We believe the most successful agency-client relationships are partnerships, where each end maintains open and honest lines of communication and works together to set expectations, execute programs and achieve goals.
- Your success is our success, and we invest the time and energy to be sure we achieve that for clients. As a client, we’re always available to you. While we estimate a certain number of hours per week for your programs, we hold ourselves responsible and accountable for making them a success.
- You’ll have one direct point of contact at the agency, but can expect to be in touch with supporting team members who will be involved at given points throughout our work together. As a client, your direct point of contact will always be available and accessible to you.
We work with clients all over the world. They range in focus from food, beverage, agriculture, and travel.
We chose the name of our agency as a tribute to French novelist Honoré de Balzac. A true character, he was manic and a workaholic, and he drank way too much coffee (up to fifty cups a day). He speculated wildly in several businesses, and he pursued the woman of his dreams for years before finally marrying her, only to die of ill health five months later at age fifty-one.
He was also a remarkable chronicler of his times, and wrote more than eighty novels and sociological studies of post-Napoleonic France, which he called The Human Comedy. Among literature’s outstanding achievements, these works portray the nitty-gritty, real-life loves and disappointments of everyday French people, and because they were written in the form of novels rather than academic papers, they not only come to life for the reader; they have also enshrined the author for posterity.
In some ways, this is what we try to do for our clients: We try to bring their stories to life in a way that goes beyond the simple facts, and create stories and emotional connection with the readers. But we drink way less coffee.
