Garage Winemaking in South Africa Less is More - Cape Wine ...

to grow up thinking they are a global generation and have the means to be one.
They communicate through Facebook, You Tube, Twitter and blogs. In the USA
alone, these “Millennials” represent over 77 million potential wine consumers. They
are much more likely to purchase bottled wine than cask wine, and enjoy buying
wine by the glass or sharing a bottle in a café. They are the future of wine
consumption. We need to engage this younger generation in our marketing, so get
blogging and twittering. 117
And if you think going “green” will give you that marketing edge, think again.
Recent research in Australia showed fewer than 10% of consumers will pay even a
small premium for good environmental practice in winemaking. A few years ago
environmentally friendly might have been considered unique. Within a few years
good environmental practice will be necessary just to get listed in many retailers. 118
In conclusion it is important to look at your product, price, place and promotion
and ask yourself some questions. You need to have a realistic, objective view of the
quality of your wine. How does it compare to your perceived competition? Does it
reflect your wine making philosophy? Are you getting the most from the raw
materials you have to work with? How does the price you are asking for your wine
reflect the position you are looking for, and the quality of your wine? Under pricing
wine is as bad as over pricing. As a baseline, there is a certain return you need from
the wine relative to your investment. Does the end product justify that return? If
priced too high, the wine will not sell, and you will have excess inventory to deal with.
Is it priced too low? If you are selling out your offering quickly, think about raising
your price. 119
What are you doing to get the product in front of the consumer? Do you have
distributors? Are you making market visits to promote your wine? Do you have a
good website? Are you managing your mailing list? Do you have a club? These are
all elements of distribution. 120
What can a small winery do to promote their product? There are the obvious
tactics, enter wine competitions, winemakers‟ dinners, and shelf talkers. What about
the not so obvious like direct promotions, such as special offerings to your club
members, creating unique bundled offers in your tasting room, or using your
newsletter to educate the consumer? The bottom line is that making great wine is
rarely enough. You must be a marketer as well . 121
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