As the end of the year nears, for nearly all of us, there is much reflection to be had.
How we measure our past year’s triumphs and tragedies is mostly predicated on an individual value system that we hold close. Here is mine.
My year was fruitful, yet frustrating in many respects. Some of my wine industry colleagues and businesses seem to have gone down some odd roads, that left me wondering if I am on a right path myself.
So frustrating, in fact, that I took a short hiatus from writing in order to properly reflect. I was starting to feel as though I am going through the motions, and frankly becoming part of a charade. Industry gatekeepers were generously letting us in, while we, the participants, were pretending to do it justice. I busied myself with a dogged pursuit of discernment of digital media, which as anyone who studied it knows, is a maze. While getting a grasp on Instagram and other social media platforms, I was continuously beleaguered by a disturbing dilemma. What does all this really mean?
The wine writing industry is surprisingly small. By now, I have gotten to know a fair chunk of the cast of characters, or at least have a grasp on their work.
I found myself in a rather unique position. I wore the lens of a wine business insider while studying the insights of the wine journalism world. I left a successful business venture to pursue the business of writing. As a business owner who specialized in marketing luxury goods, most of my adult life was spent in front of a consumer. Running a business is fundamentally about that single all-important mission. How you treat your customers, who are ultimately the ones paying your bills, is key to success.
Astoundingly, the slice of wine world I found myself in, was hardly about that. Professional wine writing world predominantly centers around catering to editors, publishers and meeting deadlines; the ultimate motivation is revenue/selling ads, which, in turn, drives content choices.
The proliferation of a citizenry blogosphere has sunk the wine writing world into deep waters of haphazard content, destined to drown even discerning reader attention span. Forget most of us, who mainly scan for punchlines. A good story is still king, but you progressively need a bigger flashlight to find it.
Certainly, there are some unique and exceptionally talented voices well worth admiring, but those are in a stark minority.
When I first transitioned to wine writing, I was narrowly focused on the quality of my prose. I obsessively poured over textbooks from journalism schools, voraciously read through all sorts of prose, academia and wine-related, took writing courses and went to writing retreats; in other words, did all that I could to improve. As it turns out, excellent writing skills aren’t as valuable as I had believed. Even my twenty-year-long experience of being wholly immersed into the wine world has proven to be of lesser worth than anticipated.
Many of my colleagues, who fancy themselves wine writers merely write about wine. It is not the same. Great or even good writing is a fusion of art and technical skills, with a hefty dosage of grit. Any of us whose work is worth reading would say that you don’t choose writing, it chooses you. You simply can’t help it, it near physically hurts not to create.
At a minimum, a good grasp of subject matter is a must. Imagine a winemaker who doesn’t know even the basics of chemistry? Yet, many of those who I share space with on the proverbial “planes, trains and automobiles” proudly declare that they know next to nothing about wine.
All publication’s budgets have shrunk dramatically, so most magazines and newspapers are going digital and relying on contributions or subscriptions, whose objectives are more about bylines and press trips than quality content. The good news is that they write nearly for free. In the end, you get what you pay for.
Some focus on the bright side: democratization in wine writing style, that mimics democratization in wine. Like canned wine, it’s functional and delivers what it must, a series of words, strung into paragraphs, fashioned into an article. Canned wine often tastes decent, even very good sometimes. It is cost effective and eco-friendly. At the end of the day, it is mostly manufactured, fermented grape juice in a can. Let’s not confuse it with something more.
I am a big believer of the “everybody in the pool” mentality. I know that no matter how many producers source fruit from a vineyard, each of their wines will be distinctly different. Similarly, content creation, much like a physical product, is a personalized point of view. Some of my colleagues’ behaviors in group settings, such as tastings and media trips, are obsessively territorial; they act as if they are protecting some closely-guarded secret. I always found this amusing, and mildly disturbing. If there indeed is a secret, won’t revealing it make you rich and famous in a flash?
For all the insinuations of “demystifying wine,” and an avalanche of social media posts featuring every wine-related imagery and piece of content imaginable, consumers are still quite confused. While we play our own version of “inside baseball,” people we should communicate with the most are left behind. Perceived misperception and a sense of inadequacy are most common comments/complaints I hear to this day even from avid wine enthusiasts.
Not to mention that the subject of wine in the first place isn’t that riveting for an outsider. Ever wonder why there is a thriving Food Network, yet no Wine Network? Wine doesn’t lend itself to instant gratification. It involves a long, arduous process, from plant to bottle, and thus far no one has figured out how to make viticultural tales a national pastime. Should one of us succeed at that, I would be the first one on their doorstep with a bottle of vintage champagne. So far it’s not looking promising, since that this sort of groundswell will doubtfully begin with yet another selfie nuzzling a vanity bottle, or one more closeup of a bosom-shaped bunch of berries.
And of course, there is the language. If you look at wine writing community Instagram feeds, every bottle we taste is invariably amazing. This explosion of uninspired, monotonous accolades that ring trite, does nothing to alleviate confusion and creates a lack of trust on the audience’s part. If everything is fantastic, then nothing is.
The actual world of wine has, in fact, improved rapidly and rather dramatically—exponentially better wines are being made every day in every corner of the globe. Consumers are drinking better than ever. Conversely, it’s easier than ever to write optimistic things about wine; since higher quality products are consistently made. Technical innovation and greater awareness of the intricacies of the craft, from viticulture to cellar work made our jobs as storytellers easier. Some see it as a cue for lazy writing—with a plethora of examples, such as your standby top 10 and top 100 lists and an onslaught of overly enthusiastic reviews that at best, wax poetic yet is entirely meaningless.
We, the wordsmiths, haven’t come up with an innovative way to communicate in a more meaningful, insightful way. Instead, we just got a larger loudspeaker, called social media, with which to broadcast our deficiencies. And, the louder we get, the more it resembles the background noise, drowning out the message.
In many ways, wine writing and wine business are on the perpetual collision course. We are supposed to inform and entertain, which helps the businesses attract customers. However, many companies that pay close attention are so disillusioned that, while they still (sometimes reluctantly) host writers, developed a sense of constant heartburn.
In fairness, writers are not adequately compensated for their work, since the outlet’s budgets can no longer allow for that. To produce consistent, erudite, well-researched content, one must have a financial foundation that permits one to do so. Since writing doesn’t pay, the only way to make it happen is to do it part-time, or by relying on a life partner who is willing to support you. Indeed, that dynamic allows you the freedom to write with little or no pay, and travel.
However, then your primary customers become those who provide access. Wine regions and individual producers who vie to impress the jaded wine writing folk are often lost in conversation and become merely a stepping stone on the way to the next destination. Which naturally, is always more “amazing” than the last one.
Meanwhile, wine consumers are again left behind. Considering the quality of content, even with all the social media hoopla, they are still no better off than five, or even ten years ago.
So, what’s a consumer to do?
Trust your palate, above all. Forget the “experts,” and I mean all of them, from famous critics to random bloggers. And for Pete’s sake, stay away from influencers, especially self-proclaimed ones! Remember the line, “the first rule of fight club: never talk about a fight club”? The first rule of influencing is never to talk about said influencing.
Buy random wine that is friendly to your budget, and taste, taste, taste! The more you experience, the more you will learn your preferences. They will change, evolve, puzzle you at times, but what a fun ride!
- Talk about it with your friends. Organize a tasting group, take a sensory evaluation course, buy a kit such as Le Nez du Vin, or just pop a bunch of communally gathered bottles, and taste them blind. Talk about what each one of you tasted. Winespeak is rarely fun coming from a professional, but it can be highly entertaining coming from your friends!
- Travel to wine regions. Find your wine bliss, be it Napa Valley, Tuscany, or a random winery in the Douro Valley, or Central Otago. Put yourself in front of the source, be adventurous. No one has never regretted exploring new things.
- Tribute, as in pay tribute to wineries that had seen many iterations of the wine world yet are still standing. A classic Stag’s Leap Cab is worth trying, if for no other reason, then learning what a renowned wine tastes like. Visit the winery or go to a wine bar with a Coravin, so you don’t have to buy your own bottle. Teachable moments await.
- Tether. As in find and tether yourself to a producer you really, really enjoy. Established or new, high-end, or inexpensive, monovarietal, or with a huge portfolio. The reason to buy direct isn’t just to save money (which is usually the case with wine clubs) but to get to know the business more intimately. Like any relationship, it ebbs and flows, and you may not like every single product the same. What’s important is that you will gain an in-depth, highly personalized knowledge, that is priceless. Our real-life attachments are often what gets us through life’s bumps and boulders. Wine attachments function similarly. A sense of belonging in the world that revolves around pleasure and conviviality is worth pursuing.
If you practice my “5 T’s” rule, I promise that your wine life will improve. You will never again feel intimidated in front of a crowded shelf in a wine store or stressed over a wine list of any breadth at a restaurant. You will gain confidence and sense of control over your beverage endeavors, and that’s a pretty awesome feeling.
In the past several years, I have traveled a ton: a multitude of countries, dozens of wine regions (including eighteen in the US alone), tens of thousands of wines, hundreds of producers, countless takeaways. My phone currently holds over 120,000 photos and a couple thousand hours of videos from the last two years alone. I post a tiny fraction of what I have collected on social media; most are for private use.
I listened to tale after tale, from the mountains of Monterey to the hills of Tuscany; in the end, a lot of commonalities emerged. The pain points are remarkably similar. The critical clue came from a recent series of B2B meetings in Rome, Italy. As a current consultant and former member of the wine trade, I still get invited to participate in trade activities, conferences, etc. I met with two dozen producers over two days. It became quickly apparent that their objectives are clear—either a breakthrough to new markets, mainly the US, or increasing their market share, but they had no idea how to go about it.
I ended up corresponding with several producers, proposing a rough business plan, focused on the path to meeting these objectives. Below are some key points from my correspondence; each of which is universally applicable.
- Start with your customer as the cornerstone. Identify your audience and immerse yourself, engage it. Find out what they are missing, experiment till you nail down an enthusiastic response. No one has a magic bullet; you must discover it your own. And always, always, turn your business pyramid on its head. Your customer is on top, and your product and its presentation are subject to their needs and wants. As the wine world, along with the world at large, moves decisively towards experiential, rather than observational or authority-driven space, you need to let your consumer feel like an insider. They will give you love and loyalty in return.
- Self-reliance. Ralph Waldo Emerson is still right. Please stop relying on third parties to produce your branding and marketing strategies. Assume control of it, develop a vision and framework, a message that embodies it; own it, and stick to it. Outsource implementation, not core construction. There is nothing more powerful than a business entity that buys into its ethos.
- Smart social media. If there was ever an insatiable beast, this must be it. Consistency is key. Work smart. If you don’t harness the beast correctly you will get very frustrated if you are not meticulously consistently, you needn’t have bothered.
A common mistake is expecting an ROI of some sort, regarding, say “likes” on Instagram that will translate into sales. Let me correct this entirely false notion. It is not about the revenue—instead, it’s a tool that allows you to establish and manage your branding and message across all platforms you choose to engage. It’s your digital footprint, a business card, a presence for the sake of your existing and future consumers. Today’s marketing is a dogfight for eyeballs, and ultimately, hearts and minds.
As a business, you can ill-afford the time investment, or to not participate. If I had a dollar for every “I don’t have time for social media” from a winery owner, I could retire. Upon even a cursory look, it becomes clear that they do post, on their Facebook walls, or an occasional IG snap of their pet, child, meal…
Nothing is wrong with that, except when the platform is misused. If you run a business, act like it on social media. Post top-notch visuals and comments at the correct time of day, keeping your audience in mind. Once you have a following, you can then use it as a marketing tool and leverage it. First, you must establish that you are worth pursuing. Part of that is interacting with your audience, commenting, engaging. Time-consuming? You bet. Necessity? Absolutely.
- Submitting a wine for review and for wine competitions. Again, is this a panacea? Hardly. In the world where everyone is a critic, it is a rather diluted notion. However, it still facilitates potentially exposing your brand to new markets via positive press/award. The ensuing interface with members of the trade and consumers leads to placement/sales. If your wine is well-received, it’s a notch in the belt and a good conversation starter.
- Stick with it. Do not be distracted and discouraged. Avoid trends. Don’t rush after Pet Nat or start making natural wine just because some parts of the industry are obsessing over them. Be consistent with your business philosophy and mission.
The “5 S’s” will make the difference in the bottom line. They are mostly common sense, ubiquitous truths rooted in hard work and business savvy that comes from own experiences and astute observations.
The adage, “If you want it done right, do it yourself!” is as relevant as ever. Be your own best bard of the story you craft. Some of us may come along and do it justice but don’t go counting on it.
Meanwhile, I invite everyone to be better at what we do. The term authenticity has swiftly taken on a marketing meaning. Let’s claim it back.
If each one of us spends just a few minutes every day thinking about how we contribute and make a difference in the lives of our readers and small businesses that generously welcome us, I bet we could collectively transform the wine world.
