Any event that has 15,000 attendees (that isn't about Star Wars) and over 1,000 producers (not of comic books), all with the same intentions (to buy and sell wine) for three consecutive days must be classified as an intense and/or drastic experience. Prowein in Dusseldorf fits that description and is absolutely drastic. It isn’t necessary to ramble on for 800 words describing how humbled I was by the massive convention center or how inferior it made me feel. The six pairs of socks and undies I went through in three days display that for me (didn’t really happen I swear, but my dogs were howling after all of that walking in dress shoes).
An important lesson I learned from Prowein is that it’s probably best to not leave your sister, mom, wife, grandma or cousin alone at one of these massive wine fairs. It is so easy to get “lost” or “separated”. You assume someone is just cruising around and tasting some interesting new wine or making a new business contact and that you’ll find them in a couple of minutes. In reality, Gianluigi the stud winemaker working in Wines of Sicily just swept your sister off of her feet and they are headed to the Dusseldorf Marriot to take an in depth look at his “wine portfolio”. Clearly I’m just joking, but boy those Italians have some serious Uncle Jesse swag (Full House reference) with the ladies.
What I truly realized while being in Dusseldorf is how the majority of the people in the wine business fail to keep up with the changing times in new technology and the possibility of reaching new customers. Most of these “experts” on social media (of course there are exceptions) are old guys who look at these online channels of communication simply as research for the future. They aren't actually using them the way they are intended to. The focus seems to be trying to teach the old dogs new tricks, getting the old timers to start doing business through these channels rather than using them to focus on building relationships with wine consumers who spend the majority of their time online. Typically those are younger consumers.
Social media shouldn’t be looked at as an investment for the future but the current and way to communicate with everyone and anyone. It will also be constantly evolving. If you are still skeptical about having a portion of your business dedicated to online social media then you are probably reading this while doing a 1,000 piece puzzle and eating a bowl of microwaved grape nuts cereal…because you are really really old.
Unfortunately, a lot of the people in the wine industry that do recognize the importance of these channels, spend most of their time discussing boring wine topics with each other. Instead, they could be out there reaching new consumers. It’s like everyone who is online in the wine industry thinks their latest blog post replying to someone's opinion about biodynamic wines is going to change the wine industry for the next 100 years. The truth is it probably won't even be read. I am curious to know how many people have the same 2 to 50 people reading their blog posts that cover brow raising topics such as screw caps and sulfur in wine. I respect freedom of speech and I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but like my mom always says, if you don’t have anything interesting to say then don’t post it on the internet. To get more people to learn about wine we need to do it with fun and interesting things for them to read.
It is pretty sad seeing quality wine not being sold because the decision makers in a business don’t know what they are doing. If your stand at Prowein isn’t getting any attention from people who went out of their way to fly to Germany, pay to be at Prowein and love wine more than life itself, then how are you going to convince normal consumers to buy your wines? The same thing goes for people trying to do blogs and being active in social media. If nobody is listening maybe it is time to think maybe it’s your message that is the issue.
For anyone interested…
WINES I REALLY ENJOYED AT PROWEIN:
Lidio Carraro (Brazil) Brazil makes really bomb red and sparkling wine now so jump on the bandwagon. Winebow imports this producers wine so you will definitely be able to find them in the USA and most likely Seattle. Awesome Bordeaux blend (which means it has Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc in it). Also had a wine made from 100% Tannant (grape) that was a game changer. Trust me this producer is really good.
Stella Bella (Australia)- Had a great Syrah that tasted like a perfect mixture between Aussie Shiraz and Northern Rhone (had some viognier in it). Very impressive and eye opening in showing where Australian wines are heading (Lower Alcohol and more structure).
Hedges Family Estates (Washington State) Their CMS blend (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah) is truly outstanding and always consistent. It was great to see Washington wines representing nicely at Prowein. This is a great priced bottle ($14) that everyone should try to get a feel for how Washington wines should taste.
Nove Vinarstvi (Czech Republic)- My most pleasant surprise of Prowein was to find that my Czech brethren have the ability to make some extremely unique sauvignon blanc. Good balance of fruit and minerality that comes from the limestone soils. The Czech wine industry has a promising future with proper marketing and branding. Hopefully it can make its way to the United States.
Really good stuff. do agree with" if u do Not Have anything interesting, then don't post on the internet". I Got a question: What contend do U think we should write in order to attract "layman" consumers?
ReplyDeleteWell considering 99% of the world's population could care less about the nuances and complexities of wine I suggest we skip trying to describe wine to our friends, family and average consumers in "layman's terms". We don't need to discuss structure, terroir and viticulture in a friendly discussion about wine just like we don't need to bring up harmonies, cords and time signatures when discussing music.
DeleteDiscuss the things that your target audience can relate to, understand and most importantly enjoy. Be yourself brah and the rest will fall into place.
Joe, I noticed that all your fave wines you mentioned from Prowein(except maybe the Australian?) are blends. Also, in the previous post you mentioned that a Chianti Classico(albeit mostly Sangiovese) was the catalytic wine for you. Is this tendency toward blends just coincidence, or are of the mind (and I feel this way about scotch) that while it's a treat to be challenged by a bold "varietal" (for scotch I'd pick Lagavulin) at the end of the day true drinking enjoyment "stems" from a harmony in the glass?
ReplyDeleteI can say that, for me, really the only wines I've found accessible and exciting were blends(Beaujolais Nouveau aside), so to my real question: With your interest in blends and apparent interest in hitting the 'refresh' button on the way wine is marketed--do you think the way to reach younger drinkers is on the strength of blends?
Interested to learn more, great stuff.
Caleb! Thanks for reading I hope things are going well on the East side.
DeleteAnywho, I really think wine is so subjective and unique that you can't market it based on if it's blended or a single varietal. To each his own in my opinion. It's all about using grapes that best reflect what the land has to offer, sometimes that reflection uses one two, three or up to thirteen different grapes (like seen in Chateauneuf du-pape).
People, especially young adults like to drink things that make the feel fun, unique and cool. It will take some fresh marketing tactics to stray from wine's "Old man in a smoking jacket discussing Churchill's finest hour" perception. It's getting there, but we as wine professionals need to make a serious effort to stop being so damn boring.
My personal favorite styles of wines are Red Burgundy and Willamette Valley aka 100% Pinot but I am always open to anything! There is too much good wine in the world to be a hater and only drink certain things!
Interesting. Maybe an "subjectivised" approach is the key to marketing to coming generations. With wine it seems most people (myself included) feel as if they're on the outside looking in and that within what we self-branded "outsiders" perceive as the "wine community" we also perceive imaginary battle lines drawn out of ignorance.
ReplyDeleteIn my mind, these imaginary entrenchments include, but are not limited to "red vs. white", "New World vs. Old World", "fruit vs. oak". It can certainly seem intimidating when you just want something to put a little rose in your cheek after you've been an inhuman cyborg all day at work.
As for the wine situation in China, more often than not I'll pass on buying a bottle altogether. Oh, it's certainly penetrated the market:
http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=142&catid=11&subcatid=73
But the good stuff is either overvalued for snob appeal (it's replaced VSOP as the hot thing to be seen holding in restaurants--more women clutch a glass of vino than a Chanel bag it seems)and the decent humble wines are nowhere to be found. At the "bottom of the barrel" you've got the locally produced China wines which leave me less than impressed (tastes like MD 2020, or cooking Marsala--no middle ground...).
I look forward to my rare trips to HK to check out what's decent in the supermarket, but more often than not I'll use my two-bottle customs liquor allowance to bring back my friends JW and JB.
Please tell me how should I target the audience, that wants complex wines, full of nuances, structure and terroir flavours? These people appretiate the work behind these types of wines and will also pay for it! I'm not keen on targeting people with no wine experience... but I do like to edutain them :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading Patrick,
DeleteIt sounds like you are a smart guy who makes complex wine and sells it for a competitive price. If your audience can appreciate all of these things about you and your wine, it can be concluded that they are most likely intelligent as well.
Just because people are smart and like wine doesn't mean they want to put on (or take off) their glasses and read poetic like tasting notes and weekly weather and pruning reports.
At the end of the day it is YOU out there in the vineyards with the grapes and making the wines with your bare hands. You're the only person on the planet who can really tell us the truth about your wines and your opinions. A smart consumer wants to hear anecdotes about these things because it explains the complexities of the wine, and in turn, you.
Don't just tell the readers how great of structure and terroir driven your wines are...Tell us what the hell is going on over there in your vineyards, cuveree and YOUR HEAD that is making your wine so special!
By doing this you will also be edutaining smart people who might happen to not have any wine experience. If it's a great story people will connect with it! Plus you will have fun writing. If you aren't having fun writing your own blog then you shouldn't be doing it.