Provocative post title sure, but we all know they exist. Here’s a case in point: in the comments of a recent post Megan had this to say:
We were just in the Russian River for our honeymoon and much enjoyed the experience….200 bottles of wine and 12 clubs later we are home.
Just a word on customer service that we noticed at a small number of the 26 vineyards we visited…don’t ignore your customer just because they appear young! We were serious about discovering new wines and had been planning our trip for ages….yet at a small number of vineyards we felt ignored and unattended to, despite being the only ones in the tasting room…I can only attribute this to the fact that we looked young, because as groups that came in after us arrived, with a slightly older appearing crowd, they were attended to immediately.
Reading accounts like this make me both melancholy and hopeful.
Melancholy because mine is an industry that (at least partly) seems to misunderstand the concept of “lifetime customer value”; because mine is an industry that positions itself as hospitality based, but often isn’t; and because mine is and industry that continues to show that it regards new demographics, new ideas, and new ways of doing business with ill-concealed contempt.
I’m hopeful because there are also those in the industry (and many were at the Wine 2.0 shindig last night) who are a bit more forward thinking. I’m hopeful because there are people out there who understand that while Millennials (folks aged 21-30) like to experiment, and they might not be brand loyal in the traditional sense, they are looking for an exceptional experience just like the rest of the wine buying public. I’m hopeful because there are those that understand that Millennials, as well as other non-Baby Boomer wine buyers, are quite prepared to reward those who provide such an experience with not only solid initial business, but more importantly, with strong word of mouth.
Selfishly, I’m also hopeful because there seems to plenty of room for improvement. That means that our little venture stands a good chance of being remarkable simply by virtue of treating each visitor, no matter their age, as an honored guest. What an extremely easy way to differentiate: Be respectful to anyone and everyone who walks through your door!
Heck, even I can do that.
I am a 31 year old wine geek and a wine buyer and director at a manhattan italian restauarant and wine bar. The average age of enthusiats that enter my place of work are in the 25 to 35 year age brackett. We are excited about learning more and experiencing more about wine. Whather it be Cali or italy. We are the ones that may not have the big bucks but are starting small and working our way up throught the coming years to get more acquainted with the wine world so that when the careers kick off we know how to spend the big bucks wisely. If you are nice to the millenials and take your time with them they might be the next high percentage of the wine maker’s income.
EVWG
Excellent to read your take on the issue. Thanks for tkaing my comment seriously!
Of all places, I think the Russian River area has the youngest wine crowd. It’s not like the Napa Valley! West Sonoma is much more eclectic and free spirited. I love going into Roshambo and they’ve got the disco pumping. Nope. It’s not stuffy up her, nor is it ageist.
[...] Original post by Josh and software by Elliott Back 11:59 pm [...]
I have noticed this situation in a number of different wineries all up and down the West Coast of the US, to be honest. It’s kind of random as to the level of service I seem to get, actually, which is frustrating because I want to isolate the elements that get me better service from the moment I arrive.
I should also point out that a lot of the onus falls on the visitors too. I remember visiting Domaine Serene for the first time at a point in the day when it was empty of other visitors. I had my mom and stepdad with me so there was certainly an age range among us and we all wanted to taste. Well, 3 other folks walked in, stepped past us at the tasting bar, and announced that they were “case buyers!” “Ahh, the magic words,” said the winery manager, but his face betrayed his embarrassment.
What I’m saying is, as a visitor it’s partly up to you to avoid creating a situation in which the winery hospitality falls on its face. Walking into a winery announcing that you’ve got money to burn (and yet you’re wearing the tech industry uniform of shorts, sandals, and a black T-shirt) just makes everyone else feel uneasy, I think. I know it makes me want to announce that I have a nice digital camera, or a cool wedding ring, or something equally snobbish. *)