05/05/2024
Hey there Wine Business friends! Sharing this article and the survey findings it notes, supporting what we've been seeing and saying for a long time. Educating the wine consumer about what they are often choosing in a "cheap" wine, vs a craft wine, while not annoying or overloading them, isn't what it used to be. In many cases, especially when several are in one area, wine tasting has become almost a sport and tasting rooms are the new day drinking spots - people just want to sample as many places and offerings as they can, discover, get their buzz on, in a perceived "more classy" way, chat and have fun with their friends and don't really want to be disturbed by the staff. They don't have the attention spans for lengthy explanations and they definitely don't want to join a club. If it's not the winemaker of a small boutique winery, they don't seem to care about the details. I disagree with the "Boomer" sentiments, I suspect that baby boomers were not that interested either, but thought it was the price of admission, since so many old school wineries set that model and others followed it. The biggest take away here is understated in the article and that is that the sense of prestige and clout of belonging and having access to certain wines/wineries has seriously waned. People want to relax, unwind, find treasures, take pictures, post to social media how great that moment and their life is. Thus the "disney-fication" of so many vineyards and tasting rooms. The demand seems to be (budget conscious or occasionally worth the splurge), exclusive experiences where wine and fun happen that they can document. So, the visit and revenue model of wineries must adapt, while maintaining their business values, integrity, brand and consumption safety. It's a new world. If you need more insights and custom solutions to adapt your business, contact us for professional consultations.
Wine Industry News Article
