[COPY] Dear Millenials: Put Down the Seltzer, Wine Is Waiting
Seltzers and canned cocktails are boring —wine is ready for you
When will millennials come to wine?
It’s a question every industry insider has tossed around as they look to lure a generation under the spell of bland canned seltzers. Last week I hosted a wine event loaded with millenials - people that are between 29 and 44-years old - and guess what happened?
They loved wine.
They wanted to know more, asked great questions and engaged with wine just like people in every other age group. We shared a few laughs, told some stories and ate copious amounts of cheese.
The key for me, as it is with any age group, is to drop the gatekeeping attitude. There are no dumb questions. We don’t have to sit in a dark, candle lit room - we actually sat in the dining room at a local golf club - and kept our discussions short, sweet and informal.
Every wine poured wines was $15 or less. Each wine had a story to tell, in less than one minute, and there may have been an off color word or two used to keep the mood light.
Several guests had visited wine country and their experiences were brought into the discussion. A few made their own wine and beer at home and that came to the forefront. Nearly everyone was fascinated by wines made in the traditional method.
As I went from table-to-table, the amount of preexisting wine knowledge was astoudning. It also provided hope.
Millenials will come around. The crunch of limited income due to incessant student loans will gradually ease. Boomers eventually have to step out of their leadership roles - even if we’ve said that for a few decades now - and when they do there’s a promotion and a celebration waiting. That celebration will be a beverage under a cork or screw cap not under the tab of an aluminum can.
Prior to the start of my wine event, I sat down with two Millenials aged male golfers that just wrapped up their round. Each had a pint of beer in front of them. I asked them if they’d like to taste some wines.
Both nodded and we samples four wines over the course of 15 minutes or so. Each asked if they are available locally, took photos with their phones and asked if I’d had a wine they’d previously enjoyed.
In the middle of our discussion, a passerby raised their eyebrows when I’d used a four-letter word to flippantly share how wine should have no borders or boundaries and should be enjoyed however and wherever the consumer wants.
I merely shrugged and said, “I’m going to demistify wine and keep it simple.”
One millenial at a time…