At least they “don’t care as much as we want them to,” is how Paul Mabray started his whistle-stop, rollercoaster talk at the MUST Fermenting Ideas conference earlier in the summer.
Remember the maxim: How to become a millionaire in the wine business....Start with two.
Cocktails have become somewhat trendy. I suspect that the spirits industry is doing reasonably well. Cocktails are a fun DIY project which doesn’t have to be expensive and can be something that’s “cool” and “fun” without being “snooty”.
I’ve never felt that wine was all that exciting.
Herb Caen, a columnist for the S.F. Chronicle way back in the Olden Days, once attended a wine/cheese party when the whole wine “lifestyle” era was taking off. He observed correctly that there are four kinds of wine: Red Wine, White Wine, Good Wine, and Bad Wine. Words to live by, and protect one’s wallet!
I can’t stand wine. I’ve had the rot gut, the in between, and the very expensive(Thanksgiving, Christmas gatherings) and it all tastes terrible.
Sangria I can tolerate... and that’s only because it’s wine diluted with fruit juice.
I’ll take a mixed drink or a beer, please.
“Good data collection and analysis can tell you everything a customer wants from you, given their journey with your brand. A single customer record can tell you where they live, how much they purchase, what they purchase, where they purchase, and how they found you. How you communicate to these customers should be just as detailed,” he explains.
The Romans divided the world into the civilized and the barbarians. The civilized were wine and olive oil cultures and the barbarians were beer and butter cultures. As much as I love wine we are still barbarians...
Wine is fine.
Beer is near.
But liquor is quicker................
The wine industry is harming itself. Promoting its product as a prestige item for delectation of the affluent and status-conscious in pursuit of sensory perfection, it misses the chance to position it as an affordable and enjoyable component of everyday life, a natural element of everyday meals at home, with just the family or even alone. The wine world needs its Henry Ford: producer of a good-enough product for the mass market, with acceptable quality and uniformity, at a price point that greatly expands the market — so that wine is no longer a luxury plaything but a dietary option accessible to the masses. The market for chateau-bottled vintages is only so large.
Well, Walmart devoted an entire aisle to wine and have wine specials in the main aisle. A Tennessee state law was passed to permit grocery stores to sell wine. This was a major victory of the people over the liquor store lobby.
So, people, ordinary run of the mill people do like and buy well priced wine.
Some do.
But I suspect the potential new wine customers might just be going straight to marijuana. Easier to hide (for kids), harder to detect. And it's a perfect gateway to crack and heroin.
Better all around! Plus, they don't even have to work anymore. Just buy a used Eddie Bauer tent off craigslist and move to downtown San Fransicko!
What a life!
Generally, only Wine Snobs “care” about wine.
I drink wine occasionally, but it is not my favorite beverage. By far.
I’m pretty sure I’m in a 90% majority.
My girlfriend makes sure I stay on the lookout for Vin Vault Chardonnay. It comes in a 3 liter box ($17.99). The stores around here keep running out of it. It seems to be a local favorite.
I drink light beer. Mixed drinks when I don’t have to drive.
Real men drink whiskey. Those who don’t should wear dresses.
I sell wine for a large grocery chain. Consumers are very interested in wine, but it needs to be “ hand sold”. Most consumers are very intimidated by wines especially when they lack any knowledge of wines. They will often buy the same wine over and over because it’s a safe choice. Some will even buy based on the fanciest label or bottle. Customers appreciate a knowledgeable sales staff who will help them to find a great wine at a price with which they are comfortable. I have many customers who are developing a quite sophisticated taste in wines simply by being helped in their wine choice. Sadly many wine shops do not have a knowledgeable staff or who just push products made by large conglomerate wine makers and not wines from smaller wine makers or less common regional wines from Europe.
Consumers don’t care about wine because the United States of America is a beer-drinking country. This goes back to the early settlers who came to this country. Most of the early settlers came from northern Europe where hops was grown and a climate not conducive to wineries. When these settlers immigrated to the US they brought their habits with them and their tastes as well. The only way that people will turn to wine nowadays will be to label beer drinkers as white supremacists.
I think I see a forty in my fridge... I am thirsty.
Too many of our trading partners have huge import taxes on our wines, like 200%, making an average wine bottle cost $40. That has to stop. Hopefully once the China dam breaks many other countries will fall in line with fair trading practices and our wine makers will prosper.
I’ve enjoyed $3 dollar bottles more than $15 dollar bottles.