The wine world has always had issues with appearing pretentious to the average consumer. It is probably true that somewhere there is a group of old white guys sitting around relaxing after a day of Black Rhino and Giant Panda hunting, sipping on five bottles of 1989 Chateaux Petrus. There are always going to be rich wine snobs who are intimidating to ask a wine question to. Fortunately, they are becoming the minority when discussing those involved in the wine industry.
Social media is conquering the world these days with juggernauts like facebook and twitter and the wine world is finally starting to catch on with the times. Access to people involved in the wine industry is now easier than ever before. Facebook and twitter are helping build communities of people who want to connect through their passion for wine; professionals and consumers alike. Because I am living in Europe and the director of my masters program Damien Wilson is a fiend for social media and wine marketing, I had the chance to attend the EWBC 2012.
The European Wine Bloggers Conference (Brescia, Italy) brings the community of wine bloggers and social media nerds together every year to discuss social media, new technology, and to taste wines from the hosting region. It gives participants a chance to network and meet the people whose blogs and social media pages they read daily. Gabriella Opaz, one of the organizers of the EWBC believes one of the most important attributes of the social media community is erasing the myth about winemakers. She said, “A great thing about facebook and twitter is that you can directly communicate with the wine makers. They answer questions and post pictures of the wine making process. Back before social media, people didn’t even know what many of the world’s winemakers looked like, now you can meet up with them and go for a coffee.”
Praise the internet. I agree with Gabriella. I was able to contact winemaker Ray Walker and help out with the 2011 vintage at Maison Ilan in Nuits St. George here in Burgundy. By making that initial contact with him while I was on the opposite side of the planet in Seattle, I found out very quickly that he was indeed a really great guy. Not only was I able to get grapes under my fingernails and experience a Burgundy vintage in the flesh, I made a friend as well (cue Full House theme music). This does not mean that all winemakers are as cool or nice as Ray, but it is proof that social media give you the opportunity to meet new people in the industry.
Lots of wineries have facebook and twitter pages now. At this very moment, wine information is at your finger tips. Not the boring tasting note type of information, but personal, real experience information that is actually interesting and won't put you to bed reading at 2pm. This post is basically directed towards people who have been too scared to ask what tannins are and how do they get into wine. It's OKAY to ask people in the wine industry questions now because they all seem to be really nice (especially the ones who have an online presence). So relax, ask some questions online if you want and get your "learn on" about the wines you enjoy. Now go pop some bottles with your friends and listen to Toto and/or Foreigners Greatest Hits because you know I am.
