The relationship between consumer, wine media and the industry

Wine media, as any other kind of media, is in constant evolution. Prior to social media, wine consumers were using the specialized press to search for information. Their meeting point with wine data was through experts who shared their opinions over industry magazines or within a given section of the newspaper. With social media, the ground rules have changed, as these tools allow consumers to not just take it but also to create content. At the same time diluting somehow the influence of professional wine critics. 

Common social media channels include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin and hundreds of apps for the mobile phones. According to the Pew Internet Project, three-quarters of online adults in the U.S are now using these channels for an average time of 1.7 hours every day (teenagers spends more than 9 hours per day according to socialmediatoday.com). But what does all this have to do with wine? 

Well, when the film “The Sideways effect” proved to be an unexpected success in 2014 the largest beneficiary of such hit was Pinot Noir for this same reason. One of the main characters is a wine lover who hates Merlot and loves Pinot Noir, spending a great deal of time talking positively about the latest. According to ACNielsen days after the film was released sales of Pinot Noir got a dramatic increase of 16% compared with the same period a year earlier and in 2015 a glass manufacturer (Riedel) reported an increase of 45% in US sales mainly due to a higher demand in Pinot Noir special glasses. 

Wine is a product with high social and emotional content, which makes it the perfect product for a communication model formed by more interactions between different kinds of consumers and producers all over the world. 

For consumers, this democratization in the communication has many benefits. Of course, there are many types of consumer who do not want the same things and therefore do not use these tools in the same way neither. More available sources of information may result in saving money thanks to an easier comparison between options and also more knowledge for whoever wants it. Committed wine lovers have also found in social media a new source of income. 

For producers, this a great opportunity to create closer ties with its target audience and moreover to know who they are, why they drink wine, what kind of wine they drink, where they do it, how they buy it and so on. It also offers alternative channels to those who do not have a powerful distribution channel. 

Nowadays there are more and more people who care about the products that they consume and want to know more. This is a great opportunity for wineries to bring the origin of their wines to the people through activities like tastings or winery tours. This kind of experiences have shown to be very effective for lifelong engagement for a product (Bruwer & Alant, 2009). 

The presence in social media adds brands credibility and new communication channels to promote the purchase. Knowing this many producers have changed their marketing and public relations strategy to promote their 2.0 presence above more traditional channels like magazines or newsletters. The biggest challenge is regarding to the ROI (return-on-investment) as it is very difficult to size the real impact of these campaigns. 

Although it is really difficult to measure success stories between social media and wine are becoming more widely known. Such as Stormhoeck winery, situated in South Africa, they contacted wine bloggers with some months of experience and asked them if they wanted a free wine bottle to taste with no requirements to write about it. More than 100 bloggers all over the world wrote about their product and then they held some wine events in different countries like Spain or UK for a greater impact. Results showed an increase in sales from 50,000 cases per year to 300,000 (Bakas R, 2010). 

When Robert Parker launched Wine Advocate in 1978 the relationship between communication and wine was much simpler. His newsletter became well known when, despite a lot of professional opinions to the contrary, accurately predicted the high quality of 1982 Bordeaux vintage. Soon later becoming the main reference for American wine consumers.  His influence was so great during years after that is known that Parker’s rating means an increase of the 50% in the release price of the en primeur Bordeaaux market (Colin Hay), where the consumers can purchase wine while still maturing in oak. 

His nickname ‘the million-dollar nose’ does not come from nothing”. Parker’s 100 points scale system has also a direct impact on how a wine can be sold, above all in terms of price. A wine scoring more than 90 will benefit of higher retail prices and faster sales. Many wineries, knowing this direct relationship began to strive to please the wine-guru. 

A lot of producers relied on this system and focus all their efforts on obtaining a high Parker score or a good Wine Enthusiast review instead of caring about developing a brand or a unique style. It wasn’t strange to some producers to push their distributors to buy 20 cases of a lower end brand to obtain one case of the high rate one (Gary Vaynerchuk). 

The impact of Robert Parker on the wine industry is undeniable, he changed the way wine is sold. He has also influenced the fate of many wine regions of the world such as Napa, Bordeaux or Priorat. But the modern wine business is changing again, now producers are under the effects not only of professional ratings but also the online WOM (word to mouth). They are not just winemakers any more, they are now on top of all customer care center.

The influence of professional press like Wine Advocate, Wine Enthusiast, Decanter Magazine, Eric Asimov or Jancis Robinson will stand but will have to coexist with the aforementioned diversification. Nowadays websites like Winefolly (created by Madeline Puckete) or Jessica Altieri’s Wine Channel TV with the goal of influencing but through wine education in a much closer and simpler way are the main trend. 

Closely related to this is the role of the wine journalism. Imagine you are organizing a winery tour to promote a wine region including visits several wineries; Which profile do you find more compelling: A wine journalist who certainly knows about wine and can write a very interesting article or a blogger/social media influencer with a big online community of wine lovers and professionals related to wine business? 

Platforms will keep changing but what pulls best seems to be always the same over time: entertaining, independent and fresh as it was Wine Advocate at the time and now it is some Instagram user who can hold a WSET title and work in the wine industry or just be a mere amateur with great people skills. It is the work of wine regions (through their different organisms like Consejos Regularadores in Spain) and individual producers to find the best way to promote their products, seeking to differentiate and connect with consumers. 

Pictures: cover from http://winegoggle.co.za | http://www.grandcru.com.ar | screenshot from movie «The sideways effect» | http://buzzbinpadillaco.com