Getting More People Engaged With Premium Wine

Pretty much every wine made in Sonoma County, and most of coastal California, falls into the premium wine category. What is premium wine? It's anything over $20 or thereabouts. The inexpensive stuff, certainly under $10 is commercial grade. This wine is about quantity and made mechanically in an industrial setting.

How do you get more people engaged with more expensive wines?

Skip the technical talk
Malolactic fermentation and carbonic maceration might sound cool, but are just confusing to 99% of the population. It can be a turn off if you feel stupid about a product. Talk about the why rather than the what in non-technical language. You don't see car dealers explaining direct injection.

Don't criticize for not doing it the right way
Is the wine too warm? Too cold? Is it the wrong kind of glass? Did they forget to swirl? This is supposed to be enjoyable. Don't tell people this wine should taste like, "bright cassis with stewed plums and chewy tannins." It should taste like whatever they experience.

The story of a wine
This should be a bit about the people who are involved in making it. It should be about nature and taking care of the land. You aren't taking care of the land? Then you will be in trouble in a few years. Do you have a feel good story? A guy who started in the cellar after college? Women and/or minorities in high positions? Awards for land stewardship? Donate a percentage of sales to save the oceans?

Pictures, not paragraphs
This is the age of social media on a four inch screen. Use pictures to show the harvest rather than 500 words.

Multiple platforms
Some people stop at a particular winery because there's a "free shipping" sign out front. Some might check winery web pages before buying or visiting. Others use Facebook, Instagram, Yelp, etc. Be everywhere. Each may require a slightly different format and message. For instance, Instagram seems to be mostly women posting and it's also more visual.

Who is the new audience you want to attract?
There's a lot of focus on those in their 20s as they are still deciding what sort of adult beverages they like. That fine, but if you look at print ads you see the focus on upper-middle to upper-class white people in their 40s and 50s. There's a whole lot bigger potential audience out there.