Trade needs to tap into wine’s ‘romantic’ side

Wine retailers need to be tapping into the romance of wine more and the beautiful places it’s made rather than bombarding consumers with tasting notes, according to one key commentator.

Vineyard Near Montalcino in Tuscany

Speaking at a seminar during the London Wine Fair this week, wine writer Guy Woodward said: “For most people wine is something romantic and aspirational. People like the idea of visiting vineyards – we need to tell the stories of the people and places and tap into wine’s romantic side more.

“With events like London Wine Week things are a lot better than they were in the UK five years ago, but it’s important to remember that consumers see things differently to the trade.”

Woodward also stressed the importance of opening bottles for consumers to try while they shop.

“I think it’s less about talking to consumers and more about opening a bottle and pouring the stuff. With devices like Enomatic machines and Coravin there is no excuse now not to be having wines to sample every single day at a merchant,” he said.

“Pouring is a form of interaction and is a much better way of engaging with the consumer than bombarding them with tasting notes. We’ve got a lot to learn about the language we use in tasting notes. For most people wine is quite mysterious and a subject they can easily make a fool of themselves over,” he added.

While Woodward said he trusted wine awards, he remains sceptical that they are the best way to communicate about wine to consumers. “It’s still the wine trade telling consumers what they think and what they should like,” he said.

Instead, he believes apps like Vivino where users submit reviews of the wines they’ve tried hold the key to the future of consumer wine engagement.

“Vivino already has 8.5m users and had one million wine scans on Christmas Day. People seek opinions from their friends and people they trust. Dare I say it but the role of the wine journalist is becoming less relevant,” he admitted.

During the seminar, Woodward criticised critics for “spending too much time talking to the 5% who know the differences between the different Burgundy appellations and not the 95% who don’t.”

He also slammed the use of technical wine terms on back labels: “Malolactic fermentation has no place on a wine label. For most people wine is fun – it’s not about tannins and PH levels,” he said.

“I think one of the reasons US critic Robert Parker has been so successful with consumers is that he conveys enthusiasm in his tasting notes,” he added.