WTN Services- Millenials, Wine, Branding, Labels Oh My…
Over dinner a few nights ago at Cuvee, one of Napa’s hot restaurants, over a huge wine list of which I’ve consumed a bit- I looked around the room and could not help but notice half the room was filled with “Millennials”. Looking around I felt a bit gitty, as I’ve been reading recently on the -wants and needs -of the millennial generation. So as casually as I could, I moved to the bar and ease dropped in a conversation then had to participate, of course. The couple next to me was sampling several great wines. At first they sampled a few of the wines on tap. Though they thought they were “neat” they really did not like the concept of wines on tap. They invited a few more people to join and by the end of the night there were 12 of us sipping and talking about beverages of choice and more. As expected wine was not their “first pick” for a social drink but was the drink they all opted to have “when eating out or socializing” like this fine night. The talk surrounded what made a great wine and “interestingly labels and bottles” came into play.
The consensus was that a quality wine is perceived as even better if the “lable is jazzy, sophisticated” and not just “plain Jane”. As we were sitting, sipping and debating a local wine critic and a wine maker approached to say, hi. One of the young ladies in our group commented to the wine maker how much she liked the wine but said, “Your label makes your wine taste just … ohh…hmmm … or everyday plain.” I thought the wine maker was going to have a stroke, I was about to. He shrugged and mentioned “this is not the first time I’ve heard that recently” then walked away. He and the critic went sat down and had dinner. The critic came up to me later in the night and said our critic at our table was right. He continued, “the label did make the wine taste plain as it sat the mood when looking at it against the great food being served.” He said yes the wine is excellent but the impression of the wine was established by her “perception from the label.”
The key point being labels, branding and customer perception matters. We went on and laughed the night away but then talked briefly about wine clubs. Again packaging matters. The consensus from our party of 12 was that (3 of them had belonged to wine clubs at some stage) the package when it arrived had a impact on their perception of the wine inside. Interesting feedback to the director of client operations of a wine fulfillment company, I thought. So I had to quiz them more…. The consensus was that the collateral materials needed to be interesting and inviting. Packaging does matter indeed. One of the participants said if a Crate and Barrel White and Black Package arrived and a wine club in the standard brown box at the same time from Fed Ex or UPS, knowing the wine box was of greater value and interest, she would have probably opened the Crate and Barrel Box first, just due to the first impression of the box. Note to self, review packaging options with wine clubs we-WTN Services fulfill. Note to my winery partners: let’s discuss options to enhance your consumer experience from email alerts to what is inside and out. If you have not already done so, please contact your WTN Service Account Manager and let’s discuss options for look and feel in the New Year.
Note to the wine maker that visited our group and will read this. We love your wines plain jane label or not-keep up the great work and be sure to stop by again 
December 12th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
I’m 22 and a recent graduate of college working in the wine industry and as much as I hate to admit it, I largely base my wine purchases at the store on label appeal. The visual appeal of a simple design almost always wins out when deciding what wine to take home for the evening. I wonder if this is ever not the case, unless one knows something of the quality of the product beforehand, who would choose a product with confusing text and ugly images over one with concise wording and clean images? It should be about what is in the bottle but first impressions are so important in a time with virtually endless choices. It seems to me though that when buying wine when at the restaurant or bar the label would only be a factor in the atmosphere or experience while drinking it.
December 12th, 2007 at 5:07 pm
Jeff thanks so much for the feedback sounds like you are consistent with our research on Millenials and wine. Have a glass for me and Happy Holiday!
January 12th, 2008 at 1:38 am
On many occasions I catch myself buying wine just because of the label. If there is a dog or cat on the label or a colorful abstract picture, I have to buy it. It makes a great conversation piece at a casual potluck party.