Many years ago, we attended a wine event designed to reach the next generation of wine drinkers. Unfortunately, while the wine was served in plain tumblers to ostensibly communicate youthful casualness, the overall mood of the event was clubby and unfriendly.
In other words, they had it backwards. A friendlier attitude with proper glassware would have been much more effective. Wine doesn’t need to be dumbed down (which is just a form of condescension, is it not?) to reach more people. It simply needs to be friendlier and more accessible, and not only to the younger generation, but to everyone.
The good news is that a lot of strides have been made on this front in recent years. The wine industry is making a concerted effort to reach new customers. And at Mooncatcher, we are proud to live and work in what we feel is one of the world’s friendliest wine regions: Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo County and the greater Central Coast.
The bad news is that there’s still a lot of work to be done. For example, a recent study in Britain found that a full nine out of 10 people feel that “wine is shrouded in snobbery.” While the number might not be so staggering here in the United States, there is no doubt that many people still feel that wine is more exclusive than inclusive.
What can be done about it? We believe that it all begins on the front lines, at crucial points of public contact such as tasting rooms, special events and social media venues. To bring more people into your fold, you want to create a welcoming culture around your brand. This will ensure that no customer is left behind. And along the way, you will be serving the greater good of making wine more approachable to more people.
Again, this doesn’t mean dumbing down your product, or shying away from the notion of wine as a complex and thoughtful beverage. But it does mean making sure that you and your employees are on the same page when it comes to providing a welcoming spirit to novices and enthusiasts alike.
