Metamorphosis

“Oh, if you have to learn, you learn; if you’re desperate for a way out, you learn; you learn pitilessly. You stand over yourself with a whip in your hand; if there’s the least resistance, you lash yourself.” – Franz Kafka, A Report to an Academy

[Metamorphosis and A Report to an Academy are both short stories dealing with the theme of transformation written by Franz Kafka. In both cases, the transformations are alienating and agonizing for the protagonists. Their fates differ greatly from one another, with one dying in misery and the other learning to thrive as something completely new].

As I gear up for my 28th harvest, there sure is plenty to reflect upon at this moment in time. Lots of bad news, negative headlines, and reasons to be legitimately stressed out about the short- and long-term future. I think about these things a lot, just like everyone else in my industry (and many people living on earth at this moment in time). 

Things are changing, fast. The thing about change is that it is unpredictable, uncertain and uneasy, but, on the plus side, it also offers the most exciting freedom to rethink the future. When the path you’re on does not guarantee success, the risk in straying from it is not necessarily greater than the risk of staying on the dead-end road. In this moment, “we have to learn,” just like Kafka’s protagonist. The path forward for wine, in my opinion, involves a creative rethinking of who, what, where, when, why, and how wine plays a role in our culture.

Some things that I think about while working on my own wines and branding include:

Wine is a complete sensory experience, more than its flavor alone

The experience of opening and consuming a bottle of wine involves all of the senses – from the look of the bottle and label, to the pop of the cork. Additionally, opening a great bottle of wine involves a certain amount of anticipation of the perfect moment, complete with a great food pairing and great friends to share it with. Wine has the power to transport people completely outside of everyday life, through its ability to inspire openness, conversation and connection. 

Wine is the original “farm to table” food

Great wine is driven by a sense of place. Great wine allows its tasters to be transported across time and space. Wine can be enjoyed for what it is, without diving into the details of where it was grown, how it was vinified, or what the intentions of the producer were, but for anyone who wants to dive down a rabbit hole, their favorite wines offer endless opportunities for exploration and learning.

Wine is not a growth industry, it’s a steady-state industry

There are a limited number of wine consumers and a limited number of occasions where wine is consumed. For much of the history of the very young American wine industry, more and more Americans were discovering wine, and consumption was increasing fast. But, in order for the American wine industry to survive, it’s essential to find that balance point where producers’ supply and consumers’ demand are aligned, with undulating peaks and valleys, rather than a hockey stick growth curve and the inevitable crash that follows. 

As American wineries have become more and more consolidated under the ownership of a few large beverage corporations, producers have been pressured to avoid taking the risks necessary to produce innovative, distinctive wines.

The quarterly earnings report cycle is not a good fit for a product that takes 3+ years from grape to bottle. The modern corporate world demands a pivot to whatever direction the market of the moment dictates. Great wines, on the other hand, require patience, vision, and a willingness to stay the course.  

Grapegrowing and winemaking are agriculture endeavors. Highs and lows such as increasing demand during covid, or the loss of an entire vintage due to a weather event such as fire, hail or a heat dome, are inevitable in this industry; saving for a (literal) rainy day is essential.

For all of these reasons and more, I’ve chosen to work exclusively with small, family-owned brands and new independent producers, in order to provide my clients and their consumers with options for wines of merit, and in order to give my clients and viticultural partners good reason to hope for a strong wine economy in the future. 

Consumers want experiential engagement

Today’s younger consumers want more than high scores and heavy bottles. They want a fun wine tasting experience that is tailored to their expectations and the vibe of their individual group. They want to connect with producers on a personal level. They want great food to go with their great wine. They may or may not come to the visit with the intention of buying wine. Which is totally ok. Every single engagement with every consumer is an opportunity to build a relationship that endures in a mutually beneficial way. A great experience is relational, not transactional. 

Wine clubs are kind of a turn-off

Subscription-based marketing is hard to do right. Consumers are overloaded with ads for meal kits, makeup boxes, clothing boxes, automatic shipments of household products, podcast subscriptions, media channels with Plus-tier content, etc, etc, etc. It doesn’t feel good to enter your credit card number once and then receive a tidal wave of products you don’t want or need simply because it’s too much work to figure out how to unsubscribe. Wineries with a strong DTC business need to engage with their consumes in an authentic way, and need to understand that consumers will want and need to take a break from time to time, even from their favorite brands. 

In times like these, the consumer wins

The current wine surplus and resulting market recalibration creates opportunities to rethink price points and sales channels in a way that benefits the consumer. The best solution to any challenge is a win-win; producers win in this scenario by seeking out and welcoming new consumers, adjusting pricing where possible, and demystifying wine in order to create a space that the next generation of up-and-coming passionate wine lovers will want to enter.  

No one is entitled to a healthy business – it takes work

Just because some wineries sell certain wine styles at certain price points does not mean that there is room in the marketplace for more of the same. At the end of the day, the healthiest brands, producing wines that taste great at the prices that their customers are willing to pay, are the ones that will survive. 

Wine has been around for tens of thousands of years, and wine will continue to be enjoyed as long as humans are around to enjoy it. We’ve been through this type of evolutionary bottleneck before. I think back to the beginning of my career, in the 1990’s, when the elegant 1970’s and 1980’s style of wines became unpopular almost overnight. But those wine styles are back and better than ever now. Or to the release of Sideways, when suddenly no one would touch Merlot. As a result, the mediocre Merlots went away, and a whole new generation of wine drinkers developed a passion for wine by way of excitement for Pinot Noir. The pendulum never stops swinging, but wine endures.