Wine tasting experience for Millennials

One of the key learnings of the class for me (and many) was how to engage the growing millennial segment. I was surprised to hear classmates probe guest speakers on how wineries were adapting to a world where millennials visit only a couple of wineries and spend most time in AirBnBs during a weekend trip. In Australia, we would book an AirBnB or hotel but spend most of our time wine tasting. We would visit over 5 wineries per day. During each visit, we would typically enter the cellar door where the bartender or wine maker had a line up of glasses. We would do the tastings in the normal, and I guess traditional, way. The bar person would explain the story of the winery and each wine. A big part of this could be because tastings are mostly free in Australia, albeit with social pressure to buy a bottle afterwards.

I'm currently in Paso Robles, a 3 hour drive south of Palo Alto. It's interesting to see how vineyards are trying to cater to millennials. One winery, Sculpterra, had vast rows of pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon and other red varietal vines. It also had large metal and bronze sculptures of different animals surrounding the cellar door. On one side outside the tasting rooms were large (1 story high) panels displaying paintings and photos of the history of Californian wine. There was also a large courtyard with a bocce court, a ping pong table, a mini food market, and a large stage for live performances where musicians were setting up. In the next vineyard, our tasting centered on sparkling wine. They were also setting up for an 850 person Rick Springfield concert. My group is having a great time but unfortunately did not play any of the games, look too closely at the art (except the sculptures), or go to the concert. Interestingly, we seemed to be more interested in enjoying each others' company and occasionally hearing the stories of the vineyards.