What's in that glass, Michelle? A margarita? Enquiring minds!
Howdy, Gang!
Welcome back to our third installment of Millennial Wine Consumer interviews. Usually it takes a second season of a TV show or more before they go tweaking it, but this all about social media which moves at the speed of-
(I actually finished that sentence, you just weren’t quick enough to read it.)
For our third interview, we have Michelle, a great addition to the roster, and…here’s the cool twist…she already works IN the wine industry! She’s the Marketing Director for Keller Estate Winery in beautiful Sonoma County. If you haven’t been there yet, please do swing by for a great taste and a “hello!”
I amended the questions a bit for Michelle and she’s been a great sport in dealing with my (dorky) sense of humor. I have to say I was most curious to see if her choices as a Millennial Wine Consumer were any different from those of Matt or Jean, my other two Millennial interviewees to date.
Which has more influence in Michelle’s wine-loving world? Her Millennial designation or her working at a winery? Check it out!
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Everyone, please welcome Michelle!
1. How old are you and how often would you say you buy wine? (Assuming, of course, that Keller Estate wine doesn’t already flow from your faucets.)
I’m 25 years old, and while it would be awesome if Keller Estate poured from my faucets, alas, I do buy wine. I purchase wine about once a week, either from a grocery store (I love Trader Joe’s), a specialty wine store (this is a little more like once a month), online (about once every three months) or directly from a winery (when I go visit).
2. How do you decide which wine(s) to buy if you’re at a store or a restaurant?
When I purchase wine, I’m really interested in people who are trying out new varietals in different regions. I’m really into wines from New World places like New Zealand, South Africa, Chile and Argentina, as well as California, of course.
I like to choose wines in the under-$20 price range if it’s for an everyday meal, but when I’m out at a restaurant, I like to splurge. I also like trying tasting menus with wine pairings — it’s fun to see what a sommelier thinks is a good pairing.
3. Would you consider yourself more “fluent” in wine brands than other friends your age? And do friends call you for recommendations more than others?
Because I’m in the wine world, I do consider myself more “fluent” in wine brands and wine varietals than others my age. When I’m out with a group of friends, the wine list often ends up in my hand, although I always ask people what types of wines they like so that we all learn together.
I do get asked for recommendations when people are choosing special occasion wines (such as gifts or for a nice dinner).
4. You’re in the interesting position of being a female Millennial wine consumer who also works within the wine industry. What’s your take on your generation’s relationship to the fermented grape and the new-ish trend of women as wine-buyers, specifically?
I see more women my age getting into wine, which is wonderful. I’ve [even] worked with quite a few young female buyers at restaurants, but you still see men dominating the wine industry. Unfortunately, I still see too few female sommeliers or wine collectors.
Women tend to be targeted by advertisers/wineries for the frilly, fruity wines, while men are still the target consumers for the serious, high-price stuff. One exception is wine bars — these are great places where a woman can go by herself or with a group of friends and not feel like she’s at a “bar.” I think they are great places for Millennials to learn about wine in a fun and easygoing setting.
5. Do you ever feel in conflict with your professional life (i.e. fighting for change in an industry clinging onto old ways)?
The industry is obsessed with tradition and is finding it difficult to adapt to today’s fast-changing world. While some wineries are getting into using technology, most have been very slow incorporating it into their businesses.
When I started working at Keller Estate, you could not buy wine from our website. I quickly made sure that changed!
One way in which you see wineries (and wine consumers) as slow to adapt is with the whole cork issue. I really applaud the winemakers in New Zealand for going with the screw-top closure. For the majority of wines meant to be consumed young, screw-tops are awesome. We’ve considered screw-tops at Keller Estate, but we still feel like most consumers are not ready as they like the idea of popping open a bottle of wine.
6. What do you see other wineries doing (right and wrong) to court your generation?
I don’t like the idea of wineries promoting their space as a place for bachelor/bachelorette parties. [Todd's interjection: Say what?!? This was news to me.] This cheapens the wine experience and promotes binge drinking. I think some wineries are doing a great job by posting on Twitter and using Facebook to reach their consumers. As long as the posts are genuine and interesting, people pay attention. Blatant marketing doesn’t work. Telling a story and putting together interesting events does.
7. What have you or Keller Estate done to reach out to the younger generation?
We have a Facebook fan page, which my aunt updates with all of our upcoming events, and I regularly post on Twitter about my food and wine adventures (I’m @fancifulfoodie if you’re curious).
We are also launching an awesome new wine club called “The 1983 Club” for Millennials. Basically, it’s a more affordable version of our regular Key Club in which people receive our newest releases at home. For the new club, we are also including a book on wine education so that people my age can learn more about wine. Plus, they get invited to all of the events at the winery which allows them to bring friends and spread the knowledge.
We thought about how we could reach out to younger consumers and our first thought was that most young people are busy ramping up their careers; they are not quite at the place where they can regularly buy artisanal wines. So, we made our wine more affordable and accessible to my generation.
8. Did anyone influence you to try wine or to first discover it? (You work with your aunt, but that doesn’t mean your immediate family was also part of Keller, correct?)
My immediate family is not part of Keller Estate, but we’ve always appreciated wine at home. My mom’s background is French, so her family grew up appreciating wine at the table. My parents love trying new wines at home and my mom recently took several wine tasting courses so she’s getting really knowledgeable about French and Italian wines.
I started to get really into wine in college. I went on several wine tasting tours with friends in Napa and Sonoma and I took a wine appreciation class at school. It wasn’t until several years after graduation that it finally became part of my professional life, however. Now that I’ve found my passion, I’m in love!
9. When you and your friends are not drinking wine, what’s next on the menu? Spirits? Imported beer? Domestic beer?
Definitely domestic craft beer (Arrogant Bastard Ale [Stone Brewing Co.], Lagunitas IPA, Anderson Valley Oatmeal Stout, etc.). We love trying out all of the innovative products coming out of the U.S.’s burgeoning craft beer industry. In San Diego, where I’ve been living, there are some fabulous craft beer producers, including Stone and Ballast Point. I love dark, hoppy beers like oatmeal stouts and double IPAs. One of my favorite places in Los Angeles is Father’s Office, a little shack of a restaurant that has well over 50 beers.
Thanks so much for your time, Michelle!!!
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Conclusion: I love, love, love”The 1983 Club” that they created. Especially for wineries with higher prices points (Keller Estate wines online start at $26 and go up from there), I think it’s a great introduction for a winery to reach a younger generation that may pay off endlessly in terms of LTV (Lifetime Value).
All good, good, good! Any trends we see developing yet?
4 Comments
July 9, 2009 at 8:08 pm
I still have to laugh at brands who continue to think that by slapping a fun label or just being on social networks means that they are going after my generation.
Keep up your millenial interview series because you have uncovered some good(e) insight that I have been trying to tell wineries for a while now…. If you ever need any more interviewees, I think I may know a few
July 9, 2009 at 9:13 pm
Hey Shana,
Nice to see you in these parts of the blogosphere!
Good(e) deal on the cheerleading for more Millennial interviews…ho capito loud and clear. And I may hit you up for a willing friend or two in the future.
Hope you’re feeling better!
July 10, 2009 at 4:48 pm
I have to say that I agree with Shana about dealing with wineries and social medias. As Michelle puts it very well, wineries are slow to adapt and then, we want to be at the forefront of techonology!
I think wineries need to be flexible and receptive as to what is going out there, while looking for their own personality.
July 11, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Thanks for the comment here, Ana, and on LinkedIn!
That’s the rub, isn’t it? Finding a winery’s unique online “voice” with the ever-changing social media tools available out there.
I’ve heard from others that branding, per se, is a relatively new concept for wineries…that, in the past, wine just flew off the shelves.
Kudos to you and Keller Estate for leading the charge!