It’s Wine Jim…But Not as we Know it!
Posted on Sat 28th Feb 2015 at 13:40
Last month we featured an article where MW Justin Howerd-Sneyd outlined his views on wine education at the Digital Wine Communications Conference, favouring a model which provides customers with clear, concise messages and ‘dinner party one liners’ that consumers can remember and relate to, rather than being ‘wine educated’.
Last month we featured an article where MW Justin Howerd-Sneyd outlined his views on wine education at the Digital Wine Communications Conference, favouring a model which provides customers with clear, concise messages and ‘dinner party one liners’ that consumers can remember and relate to, rather than being ‘wine educated’. Author of ‘Boozehound’, Jason Wilson, has written an engaging article in trade magazine Harpers this month which sets out his prediction for wine-related developments over the coming year where he notes an unexpected new approach which could give retailers plenty of ‘alternative’ ideas for communicating with customers.
TV icon William Shatner’s blind, televised ‘Brown Bag’ wine tastings, conducted with ordinary people rather than oenophiles, make a weird but effective stab at getting the masses more interested in wine. Making wine clear, fun, and absolutely not snobby is a great way to break down the barriers and enable wine to compete with rivals products in the market like beer and cocktails which already benefit from a fun approach to marketing.
Watch clips on his website and if nothing else you’ll enjoy his fresh approach.
Take his wine tasting with Dominique Cruyff (who won a competition to meet him) and you’ll hear William ask her to review the wine in ‘pregnancy’ terms! He also summarises the wine in a clear and concise way, highlighting a few easy to remember facts customers can remember; an idea you can implement in store with a simple bottle tag. William's approach may not be your cup of tea, but it illustrates there are different ways to make your wine tastings more engaging.
The moral of this story, therefore, is to keep educating and keep trying to interest customers in the wines we offer. The more we all attempt to do this, whether we’re critics, suppliers or retailers, the more we all benefit from an educated customer base. Here's to a productive, collaborative and successful 2015!