Where are the Winemakers discussing the Wine Industry?
It’s time to let winemakers loose on the internet!
We as winemakers and many owners of wineries gave up our authoritative voices to critics, bloggers, Somms, and influencers. We gave it up for higher scores and free marketing. It’s damaging wineries and the wine industry.
Where are the winemakers?
Winemakers are largely absent from direct self-publishing platforms like Substack, much less socials like Insta and YouTube (at least with any critical mass), with some exceptions. Blogging on the winery website is generally geared toward product and event promotion. This leaves a gap for voices willing to share deeper, insider perspectives.
A few winemakers have started to create authentic and thought provoking content. Adam Casto, winemaker for Ehlers Estate, hosts a podcast exploring the business side of wine with direct conversations across the industry, from fellow winemakers, educators, journalists, and influencers. His candid opinions provide a refreshing blueprint for thought leadership that transcends winemaking. Steven Mirassou @winesaveslives has been publishing for several years on Substack with a broad range of topics, and he loves writing about Cabernet Franc (who can argue with that?!)
Winemakers have risks that sommeliers and influencers aren’t exposed to.
Imagine a winemaker publicly denouncing a competitor’s wine or going full “rage bait” by discarding a bottle of wine in disgust? Winemakers face unique risks in going public. Outspoken opinions could alienate critics, peers, consumers, and winery owners. Unlike influencers, who thrive on controversy or polarizing content, winemakers risk damaging essential industry relationships. Our voice as winemakers should be measured and nuanced but authoritative, we are the ones behind the wine after all.
Critics, influencers, sommeliers rate and describe wine…Winemakers create it.
It’s not about replacing these voices, it’s about adding our voice as winemakers and winemaker owners to the discussion. Winemakers are the ones in the vineyard, the cellar, and often times in the tasting room. Winemakers need to stop letting others in the industry define why and how we make wine.
The niche for specialized wine content is small compared to other industries. Explaining complex processes risks losing readers overwhelmed by jargon or uninterested in technical details. That said, the “demystifying wine” headline is dull and overused. I believe there is a voice for winemakers to talk about wine in a way that draws in industry and non-industry alike.
Marketing efforts move slowly in the wine industry, while the market shifts rapidly underneath us. Continuing to do nothing differently and hoping for improved results is not a strategy. Winemakers need to connect directly with audiences on Substack, YouTube and other self-publishing formats. These could become unexpected channels for revitalizing engagement and sales in niche wine markets and to engage larger audiences about the world of wine.