How do you make Carmenere a household name?

I've been trying to make Chilean wine a household name for nigh on 5 years. We've got some fantastic wines that can't be beaten on value - especially the Carmenere's - yet it always seems a struggle to get more people to "buy into" Chilean wine. I've used all the normal methods - send wine to wine writers, get them approved by Cuisine, in-store tastings, direct selling, Food Shows, Wine Clubs, Advertising, Trade Shows, our own shows, etc. Pretty much you name it, I've done it.

While we've grown, we've met plenty of obstacles. The biggest obstacle is people in the trade (ie. liquor buyers). I've heard "There's no demand for Chilean wine" and "Our Customers aren't ready for your wine yet" from two buyers who probably count for 25-30% of all the wine bought in NZ. It's a bit of a catch 22 situation. How can there be demand if there is no product available?

The real problem is perception. The mass market perceives Chilean wine to be cheap and not nearly as good as the wine we make in NZ (or get from Australia). Yet there are people who are a bit more open minded who try our wines at Food Shows, or at in-store tastings and really enjoy it. Some might even have signed up to our website emailing list. But in a world of over supply in a market not wanting to pay much more than $10 a bottle where do you go?

I've decided to have fun with the people who enjoy wine and life! I'm giving up on most of the traditional business methods. Let's try a social experiment together: Have fun with good wine! Contrary to what most respected wine writers and wineries tell us, the two are not mutually exclusive!

How can we have fun with (our) wine? Well, the brand we most work with has the advantage of having a very strong image (Casillero del Diablo - The Devil's Cellar). It's not a religious thing (for the story go here), but it is a strong theme that we can have a lot of fun with (narcisism).

So, to get thing's started I will send a bottle of Casillero del Diablo and a small gift to the first 10 people who send a photo of themselves in a store with a bottle of Casillero del Diablo and an employee of that store. The most creative photo (as judged by me) wins a case of wine.

Send your photos to warren@goldmedalwines.co.nz