Big Data & Wine

Big data seems to be sneaking into every industry and I was curious how it was impacting the wine industry. After some research, I found some pretty interesting insights:

• Start-ups are beginning to use data analytics to predict customer wine preferences
• A start-up called Bright Cellar leads with its value proposition as the "monthly wine club with the best wine for you". It showcases that the algorithm was developed by MIT grads. When you become a members of the site, the business-model leads you through a quick quiz of preferences (What is your favorite cocktail? Candy? Time to have wine?). For me, the algorithm ultimately suggested two pinot noirs (one from Willamette Valley, which I now know a lot about from the presentations!) and a syrah. 
• Here is the wine quiz link in case anyone would like to take it! https://www.brightcellars.com/wine-quiz/

• Big data is enabling smaller wineries to "fish where the fish are" and better target sales to customers in specific locations. 
• https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/northbay/sonomacounty/8527275-181/wine-marketing-sales-big-data

• The EU has funded a big data project called "Big Data Grapes" aimed at helping European producers become more competitive in large-scale international markets
• http://bigdatagrapes.eu/

There is still significant growth potential in the wine industry for robust data analysis. As one data analyst put it -- 'wine at it's core is an agrarian business' so it's not surprising that there is still significant growth for technology and artificial intelligence adoption. 

Wines of the World

Watching the presentations on the different wines from around the globe gives me a feel-good vibe as I remember the process. Wine unites the world. Although there are specific latitudes which are best for wine, the presentations made it clear that grapes prop up cultures of areas with harsh and mild winters.

As we learned about Michigan wine or Greek wine or wine from Eastern Europe, I was hopeful. We currently live in a time that has been characterized as tribal. Wine is truly tribal, a specimen of the environment in which it grows. However, we celebrate wines for these differences. We want to taste a red from Australia or a white from Long Island. We are intrigued by non-Sake wine from Japan or new vintages of sparkling wine from England. For the joy we give the diversity of wine, I see the potential for us to remember the joy we get from the broader cultures represented by wine growing regions. Being able to put a flavor on the place you visited, a smell and a color gives a stronger memory that we can associate with the people and places we travel to and something we can take back with us to cherish.

Besides memories of places we have visited and the people we have met, wine tourism encourages us to expand our personal global footprint. Watching the presentation on wine from Tasmania, I was reminded of a surfing piece I had read about Tassie and was more inspired to plan a visit. Even working on our own Hunter Valley project, I found myself having a strong desire to return to the Australian mainland, as I did not try any of their local wine when I visited there this summer. When I move back to New York in the fall, you can be assured that I will be making my way up to the South Fork of Long Island.

Reaching For a New Audience

Earlier this week I went to a tech conference called Startup Grind, hoping to score some leads on how I’ll be spending my intern summer. Things didn’t pan out quite as I’d hoped, but I did stumble across a winery offering samples and selling their wares in one of the sponsor tents. A wine booth at a tech conference? I’ve been to my share of them, and have never encountered booze at them that early in the day, let alone for free at 10:30 in the morning.

How do new brands make themselves known? This Washington outfit, called Spoken Barrel, thought they’d find some of their audience at this conference. I can see why they made their move - their bottles are light on the labels, with their details printed in bold white lettering on opaque black bottles. It didn’t quite feel like your typical wine branding. If suspected that they were going after millennial-ish men, their website confirmed it. The hero image is a giant gif that heavily feature two men in their 30s, a preview for a short video of a mostly bro dinner that reminds you that “there’s a time and a place for tequila shots, and it’s no longer Tuesday night.”

The New Vine case includes some stats that imply that the male/female ration among millennial wine drinkers was just about split (though this data is from 2004), but I can’t particularly recall wine branding that feels so squarely aimed at young men. 

A shot from their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spokenbarrelwines/

As events like the Rosé Mansion and other pop ups proliferate, there's lots of opportunity for more creative thinkings as winemakers go after younger audiences, and I'm excited to see what comes next.