Helping new wine consumers on their journey

We cannot expect to attract new wine consumers unless we meet them at the start of their journey and then help them explore further.

I don’t think (unless you started drinking wine later in life) that anyone would say that they jumped in and started buying $50+ bottles of wine. If most folks are honest, they started with a spritz, flavored wine or some sweeter version. As wine sales are seen to be declining, I am not sure why we suddenly expect Gen-Z and Millennials to replace the older generation so quickly. Plus, we now have competing products like alcohol-free beverages and CBD/THC infused sodas. But honestly, we have always had sodas to compete with.

The marketing folks at those businesses are just doing a better job as an industry at riding the current market trends with their products and helping new consumers on their journey. So, what should those of us in the beverage alcohol industry be doing?

The first step is to engage the new consumers with drinks that they enjoy and in container volumes that are affordable. The next step, after they feel comfortable with the category, is to help them expand their palate as they become more inquisitive.

Canned wine “cocktails” or the super fruity wines (and when I say fruity, I mean, strawberry, peach piña colada, etc.) are some consumers’ first step on a journey into wine. You should be asking yourselves as wine producers how you are helping on this journey of discovery. These products may not be as popular with traditionalists, but sweet wines are an incredibly popular category for the young ethnically diverse generation coming into the market. They are easy to understand and at the end of the day, enjoyable to drink. We have friends that sell a strawberry rhubarb wine and for them it is not a fad product. They have been selling this for 20 years now because it is light and easy to drink. A great entry point for many.

I recently listened to a talk by Erica Duecy, The Business of Drinks, and boy was it enlightening. Everyone has their takeaways from speakers and as many in the audience recoiled to hear Erica talk about the younger generations like for fruity wines, what I heard were the words “as an industry we win because the generation is associating themselves with “wine” - that is the starting point of their journey.” Thank you, Erica!

If you are not at the entry point of the journey, then don’t expect to engage with those starting out. What you should reflect upon is how you can help and when is your moment to step in and bridge the gap from the entry level wines to more intriguing or complex wines. At this stage it's also important not to put down the wines that led the consumer to this point. If they enjoyed strawberry and lime wine, find a way to connect that to a broader range of your products via flavor profiles. This may be trying to help them find the red fruits in your Pinot Noir and the zest in your Sauvignon Blanc. Ask them what they like about the wines they have had before and see how you can connect them to your wines.

I understand that the bottom line always needs to be on the mind of the producer, but personally, I do not think this should result in charging $50 to $150 for a flight of tastings. The most important aspect of your business is getting customers to experience the products you have to offer. This could mean providing an entry level tasting flight for $10 of smaller pours. Then for those who want a larger experience and maybe a little further along on their journey, you can provide an elevated tasting. Lastly for the “experts” who want a little more, step up to the much higher value experience – it appears that combined with reservations only, most wineries now want to start at this top level. As a producer you should try to understand where you sit within that journey, and if you want to engage sooner then find out what it is you need to do differently. I really don’t see the problem with providing “Newcomer”, “Aspirant”, and “Connoisseur” tasting packages on your website. “Expert” can even be reservation only with the others providing walk-in options. Beginners may even go for the higher level, but the package idea is that there are approachable levels for all consumers.

We should be thankful for the producers that create the lower alcohol fruit wines, as they allow a new generation to start associating themselves with wine (maybe you consider lower alcohol wines like our European counterparts). The producers making these approachable wines should not be shunned by the industry, as they are the introduction to the fascinating world of wine discovery.

Just think for a moment, how the distilled spirits industry has done such a marvelous job of introducing a new generation to the fun of cocktails that have exploded into the market via the use of RTD’s. Rather than start trying to discern a great bourbon that not everyone could afford, early entrants to the market can now try small volume cocktails, decide a direction they like and then step into the category. Consumers move from fruity cocktails to more sophisticated short drinks to trying spirits on the rocks. This is an interesting discovery progression, and no level of the chain looks at the other with distain.

When I was of the Gen-Z or Millennial age (yep thank you, I know a long time ago), I would jump in my car with three friends and plan on visiting a few (2-4) wineries, taste some wines, and usually come back with a bottle or two. Along the way we would meet some winemakers, they would share their stories, and we would be tasting in their barrel room or other rustic location. I can still remember many of those early experiences, not necessarily the wine, but the experience itself and I still recommend people to those wineries or to visit the winemakers that I met at that time.

Today, we are expecting the same, but we are not helping the new generation on their exploratory journey. Now, four friends jump in the car, and are heading to one (yep, one winery) where they will be asked to pay about $200+ for the four of them to have an “experience” of tasting four or five wines at which point they will be expected to buy a bottle or two of wine (no credit given for the tasting) and head on their way.

We are asking ourselves why we can not bring this new generation along on their wine journey. Remember, they can now go get an awesome crusty loaf of bread, some fabulous cheese, grab a few low alcohol RTDs and have a lovely experience. We have made it super expensive for these folks to have a journey at the winery, while competitors have made it convenient for them to have a great and low-cost experience.

We need to have affordable experiences that are fun and memorable and do not start with us dropping a wine club membership form in front of them as they sit down or come to the bar for a tasting. Be happy for them if they do not buy immediately, your tasting room is as much a marketing location as it is a retail store. As an industry, we all need to work together to make the journey a better experience. If anything, try to capture their email so that when the time is right or you are releasing a wine that they were interested in, you can get in touch with them.

I understand that a winery is a business and selling the wine is the hardest part. We still need to make this process enjoyable for the consumer. More than anything, it is imperative that wineries understand who they are making their products for and if they are consciously targeting those consumers. Understand your own product, understand your customer, and worry less about the overall market. Those are my thoughts and advice at this time.