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
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Hi Warren. Chilean wine was very much in demand in the UK when I left there two and a half years ago ... South American wines became a very big hit fairly quickly during the early 2000s, as quality and availability peaked.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely adore NZ reds ... and living here has brought me to love Pinot Noir above my old Rioja & Shirah(z) favourites ... but I admit I do miss the availability of other wines. I've slowly learned which particular outlets in Wellington I need to scout around to pick out something different ... but always keen to hear about more!
The missus loves Chilean Red too, so I'll scout around one evening this week and find a bottle or two now you've made me think of it.
Cheers!
Hi Dave,
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear you'll be out on a scouting mission. Our wines are stocked at Wineseeker, Thorndon New World and Regional Wines. I can thoroughly suggest the Casillero del Diablo Carmenere - it's drinking superbly (and if you send in a photo from the store we'll send you another!).
Hi Warren,
ReplyDeleteDoes it count if we try this with Chilean people? We normally are the ones, at the moment, that try to ¨market¨ our wine as much as possible with our kiwi and international friends. I do at least! Same thing that we do with Pisco, we are actually organizing pisco sour nights to make it popular. Let me know and i will pass the message.
THanks,
Evelyn
Hi Evelyn,
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! BTW, have you tried the Mango Sour recipe on our website (www.goldmedalwines.co.nz). It's a refreshing change to Pisco Sour and saves the wrists as you have to squeeze a lot less lemon. Please join as a follower to get all the updates.
Salud, Warren