One of the things we’ve suffered from in wine is slow adoption to proven DTC “Best Practices”. We learned over a decade ago that the difference between ‘belly up’ to ‘sit down service’ is over $200/sale difference per sale. Certainly, if the tasting room focus is a large bar top and bar service, then that will be the focus of sales. Leaders in this space like Sandra Beals, Connor Widder, Priscilla Hennekam and many others are great resources for ‘best, and well proven practices for profitablility and customer retention. Thank you Devon, spot on!!🥂💥
One of the reasons why I love this post is because of my own history in the ‘flavored wine world’.
Between 1980 & 1990, the companies that I worked for were extremely successful in direct to consumer tasting room business.
One company ran 38 wine tasting rooms in California selling 600,000 cases of wine direct and the other 8 tasting rooms selling 125,000 cases.
I really didn’t know the difference between a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Pink Chablis, or a Chocolate Flavored Red Wine (referred to in the industry as ‘special naturals’), but I did know how often I was running an analysis on flavored wines and prepping bottling blends for them….and it was often!
Then, we started to get ‘sophisticated’ and the wine experts began making all the decisions.
I don’t know if it’s accurate to say, but if it hadn’t have been for the California Wine Cooler in US consumption history, Baby Boomers might not have ever developed their palate for wine….lots of speculation there.
It is fact that it was Boomers that led the pack in consuming those flavored beverages and the next thing we’re talking about (still today) is how much we miss those Boomers in their wine consumption voracity!.
The coolers were fun, fresh, wonderful chilled and at the beach and at a party.
They were easy with twist off caps and you didn’t have to act like you knew what you were doing when you brought the coolers to the family get together.
We (much of the industry) knew that when Gallo & Constellation and other ‘big players’ got into the game, they would take over the market….and for a while, that 50% watered back, flavored wine brought our per-captia consumption of wine up to 5 gallons!
What we all didn’t anticipate was the large wine cooler players switching from wine based products to malt based products to avoid the larger tax category of wine.
And that was the end of the wine cooler fad as ‘wine’ coolers.
So today, where are those fun, ‘wine cooler style’ replacements that so easily remove the intimidation factor from wine and build an unrestrained freedom into beverage exploration?
Well, they’re everywhere and they come in more styles and shapes and sizes than ever before.
So, flavored, sparkling, low, no, canned, bagged, boxed, ‘pouched’ (that’s for you Alex Taylor), salted, peppered or skewered for all I care, explore, create, have fun and give the consumers what they’re asking for…..
…..and when they start asking you for the pure item of your organically farmed 1.5 ton to the acre #oldvine Garnacha, you’ll know exactly what to do.
Nicholas M. Karavidas - Principal Consultant, The Wine Firm/Consulting Wine, Intl.
#wineindustry#winemakersforum#marketing#beverageindustry#branddevelopment#researchanddevelopmentKristen NewsomCaptain Laura EinsetlerJennifer StojkovicDawn Bardessono
Preparing the Wine Industry for a Future of Innovation.
How does most wine taste, and is it really what my generation enjoys?
I've been reflecting on this for some time, feeling puzzled about how wines “should” taste and how to connect flavour with quality. So many questions are swirling in my mind, and I'm eager to find answers.
I asked my friend, who works in the wine industry, about her thoughts on the matter. She emphasized that for her, quality is more about the cleanliness of the winery than the taste of the wine itself. Even within the wine industry, we often unconsciously expand our definition of quality beyond flavour.
✅ So why do we limit ourselves, by hesitating to explore new ideas? Is our perception of how great quality wines should taste, one of our biggest constraints?
I recently watched a video on Tik ToK by a sommelier asking Millennials and Gen Z why they avoid wine. Out of 34,000 responses, the predominant reason was the TASTE. ( Link here: https://lnkd.in/gaETbtGp )
In her podcast, Business of Drinks, Erica Duecy interviewed Issamu Kamide, co-founder of Wonderwerk House of Fermentation, whose innovative flavoured sparkling wines are thriving despite the overall sales decline across the industry. Their 50% year-over-year growth shows that many people enjoy wine, and not just the conventional styles. He created a line of 7% alcohol sparkling wines flavoured with yuzu, hibiscus, and lemons; and Marinara, a lively red with a label sporting a big bowl of pasta.
Starbucks is thriving, despite varied opinions about the quality of its coffee; the company continues to grow each year. In 2023, it generated $36.68 billion in revenue, up from $32.91 billion in 2022.
We should embrace diverse wine products; rather than being shocked by innovation, let’s welcome it with open arms.
In the restaurant industry, many fine dining restaurants are supported by lower tier, more commercial restaurants. What if a few innovative products unlocked a whole new market segment for you, or even paid the bills so you could focus on that ultra-premium wine you’ve always dreamed of making?
If we can showcase a variety of designers in a fashion store, why can't we celebrate a diverse range of flavors in wine?
Have you, or would you try, flavoured wine?
What other innovative ideas intrigue you, but you’re too scared to actually test..?
#GenZWine#rethinkingthewineindustry#winebusiness
Creating wines of exceptional quality and value for Winter's Hill and our clients.
3moA winery that can welcome 28 helicopters at once. Please don't make that seem normal.