1 Wine Dude

A Serious Wine Blog For the Not-So-Serious Drinker

Menu
  • Home
  • About
    • New? Start Here!
    • PR & Samples
    • Press & What-Have-You
  • Wine
    • by badge
      • crowd pleaser
      • elegant
      • kick-ass
      • overachiever
      • sexy
    • Full Reviews
    • Mini-Reviews
  • Stalk
    • Follow me on News Break!
    • facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • pinterest
    • twitter
    • YouTube
  • Sign Up
  • Books
  • Services
  • Contact
Menu
1 Wine Dude

Talkin’ ‘Bout Their Wine G-G-G-Generation (Millennials And Wine At WBC11)3 min read

Posted on July 13, 2011July 11, 2011 by 1WineDude

in going pro, wine bloggers conference, wine industry events

Those of you planning on attending the upcoming 2011 Wine Bloggers Conference in Charlottesville, VA will have your choice of interesting break-out session panels during the afternoon of July 22nd. I’ll be moderating one of them, titled Millennials and Wine.

Millennials are Democratic (by a slight majority), thoroughly on-line and plugged daily into social networking tools, and (by a huge majority) sleep with their cellphones (really?) .  They are young enough that they might not get the reference mentioned in the title of today’s post.  They are fast becoming the wine consumers of the modern era, drinking a lot of the stuff (even in the shower… not sure I get that one entirely), especially if it has bubbles.

And there are nearly 25 million more of them than there are Gen Xers.

With a potential market that big,  if you’re even thinking about wine writing, wine blogging, wine sales, wine marketing, or wine making, you’d better start to understand what makes Millennials tick when it comes to wine.

And you’d better do it quickly…

I’m not a Millenial, but 1WineDude.com has proven somewhat popular among that group of wine aficionados, and while I’ve no idea why (or exactly how) it happened, I count myself fortunate to have been unofficially anointed by some in (and out of) their generation as a sort of Gen X-er spokesperson on their behalf, when it comes to how Millennials interact with wine in the online world.

Nocturnal cell phone habits aside, I’m deeply indebted to the wine drinkers of the Millennial generation – they have, after all, helped to make this blog as successful as it is.  More importantly (for me, anyway), Millennials have profoundly influenced my worldview with their cosmopolitan approach to new experiences, endless thirst for geeky knowledge, sense of global interconnectedness, and their unwavering confidence that they can embark on any path of discovery (vinous included) with near reckless abandon (hey, if you came into adulthood with the totality of collective human experience available online, at your fingertips, you’d have the confidence that you’d be able to figure out the other 999 steps of the one thousand on any journey on the fly, too).

My deep-seated gratitude to what what Millennials have taught me was the impetus behind why I volunteered to be involved in the Millennials and Wine panel – so I was thrilled to be asked to moderate it.  I just hope I do a good enough job of keeping out of the way of the discussion so that we maximize the value that the panel members will bring to those of you attending the conference in VA!

The panel itself is 100%-certified Millennial, and will focus on key items that wine media peeps and citizens blogger need to know in order to be able to reach that generation – namely, how young people view and experience wine, the wine industry, and social media related to wine.

The panel members are a young and talented bunch:

  • Pia Mara Finkell (originator of the panel, blogger at The Booze Bin and wine PR specialist at CRT/Tanaka)
  • Hunter Smith (of family-owned Charlottesville winery Afton Mountain Vineyards)
  • Leah Hennessy (one of my fave bloggers, and owner of digital marketing firm Millennier, Inc.)

Here’s hoping you’ll join us – and if you have questions or topic you’d like to see covered in the panel at WBC11, shout ‘em out!

2011-07-01_223701

Cheers!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

20 thoughts on “Talkin’ ‘Bout Their Wine G-G-G-Generation (Millennials And Wine At WBC11)3 min read”

  1. PAWINEGUY says:
    July 13, 2011 at 8:48 am

    2 PM today – http://www.pahousegop.com

    Don't miss it.

    1. 1WineDude says:
      July 13, 2011 at 9:27 am

      PA – off-topic, as I'm guessing that's not about Millennials…?

      1. PAWINEGUY says:
        July 13, 2011 at 10:20 am

        Didn't know where else to put it – privatization bill (for the good of the millennials) formal introduction.

        1. 1WineDude says:
          July 13, 2011 at 10:21 am

          Ah, thanks, PA – that should be interesting! :)

  2. Bobby Cintolo says:
    July 13, 2011 at 9:58 am

    Nice article, I'd love to have involvement with future Millennial panels if you need or are looking for additional people.

    1. 1WineDude says:
      July 13, 2011 at 10:01 am

      THanks, Bobby – any thoughts on topics/questions you'd like to see discussed on the current panel?

  3. Julie Crafton says:
    July 13, 2011 at 11:59 am

    Joe – I'll see you at the conference and will definitely check out this panel! I have a few questions that I would pose to this group –

    – What wine marketing strategies have been best in reaching this generation? Examples?
    – How would the panelists tackle the challenge of marketing premium wine – with prices to match – to Millennials? Is price an issue (and I would argue yes) and, if so, how best to address it?
    – Is having a Millennial marketing strategy the right approach for all wineries? Are there any cases where it would not be best-fit?

    I'll let you know if I come up with any others – see you soon!

    Julie

    1. 1WineDude says:
      July 13, 2011 at 12:06 pm

      Thanks, Julie – I'm sensing a pattern, I've received a few emails along similar lines, and I've got a feeling the panel will be attended by a lot of the industry participants at WBC11, so will certainly try to incorporate some of these Qs. Cheers!

  4. Phil says:
    July 13, 2011 at 12:07 pm

    I would have two questions. First, what is the danger of overfitting? Anyone who is a member of a "generation" recognizes how absurdly broad the brush strokes are when you try to describe the behavior and beliefs of tens of millions of people. So how do you avoid taking things too far in the "millennials like X" direction (and of course you've still got Generation Y, Generation X, and the Baby Boomers to sell too).

    My second question is how to avoid being inauthentic? My personal belief is nothing kills a marketing campaign faster, so how do keep your marketing from looking like a transparent attempt to appeal to what everyone thinks millennials want to hear?

    1. 1WineDude says:
      July 13, 2011 at 1:32 pm

      Thanks, Phil! In terms of being authentic, the answer is probably "be yourself!" :). But, how to avoid tactics that appear inauthentic I think is a good one to cover. Cheers!

  5. Phil says:
    July 13, 2011 at 12:09 pm

    By the way, I'd have to answer yes to that survey question because my cell phone sits next to my bed, along with my wallet, keys, glasses, etc. So I don't think it sounds as bad as you might think on first glance, I'm not actually sleeping with my phone. Interesting that they choice to phrase the question that way.

    1. 1WineDude says:
      July 13, 2011 at 1:33 pm

      I guess by that measure, I sleep with my cell as well…

  6. Nova C. says:
    July 13, 2011 at 4:37 pm

    I would not miss that talk for the world! Love Leah! She knows how to get a crowd on board with Millennials!

    1. 1WineDude says:
      July 13, 2011 at 4:43 pm

      THanks, Nova! Agree totally – Leah was my first suggestion for panel members! See you there!

  7. Alex Evans says:
    July 18, 2011 at 3:16 pm

    I'm a little biased as I'm both a millenial and work in wine education, but from talking to my friends casually and from students in classes, I think one of the biggest problems is information overload. I think the wine industry needs to humanize itself again and in a way that both makes it approachable, trust worthy, honest, and correct. It's about not patronizing customers, but encouraging exploration and cultivating lasting interest.

    1. 1WineDude says:
      July 18, 2011 at 4:08 pm

      Thanks, Alex – I think to be fair to the wine biz, it's not just them who are struggling with it. Cheers!

      1. Alex Evans says:
        July 18, 2011 at 4:20 pm

        I definitely agree with you. I'm more of a wine industry proponent than that comment implies, I've just had a few frustrating experiences recently.

        1. 1WineDude says:
          July 18, 2011 at 5:01 pm

          I hear ya, Alex – tune in on Wed., I have a post going up about exactly that topic & would love to have you chime in! Cheers!

  8. Marybeth Garnham says:
    July 21, 2011 at 4:52 am

    Your blog is really great … carry on the great work!

  9. indipheve says:
    July 25, 2011 at 5:21 pm

    Just looked through the thread. great job.

Comments are closed.

Dude’s New Books

Wine Taster's Guide Now Available!

“Bravo! Wine Taster's Guide is a perfect primer for both wine novices and learning enthusiasts." ―Evan Goldstein, Master Sommelier

Wine Taster's Journal Now Available!

"Wine Taster's Journal belongs in everyone's cellar… preferably wine-stained, dog-eared, and well-used.” ―Brian Freedman, wine/spirits/travel columnist

Get Some Wine

Popular Stuff

  • Wine in the Time of Coronovirus, Part 21: Touchable (Tasting Untouched By Light)
    Wine in the Time of Coronovirus, Part 21: Touchable (Tasting Untouched By Light)
  • Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For December 21, 2020
    Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For December 21, 2020
  • Carignan, My Wayward Son (Chile's Carignan Renaissance for NVWA)
    Carignan, My Wayward Son (Chile's Carignan Renaissance for NVWA)
  • Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For January 11, 2021
    Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For January 11, 2021
  • A Quiet Resistance (Eyrie Vineyards Original Vines Pinot Noir, In Retrospect)
    A Quiet Resistance (Eyrie Vineyards Original Vines Pinot Noir, In Retrospect)

About + Contact

Joe Roberts

Joe Roberts

Certified Specialist of Wine & WSET Advanced
Author, speaker, consultant, wine judge, & critic.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS Feed

Find Stuff

Sign up, lushes!

Join 36,566 other subscribers

Fine Print

This site is licensed under Creative Commons.

Code of Ethics and Privacy Policies.

Play nice!

Get The Guide

Wine Tasters Guide Footer
#1 New Release in Amazon's Wine Tasting category
This site uses cookies. Duh. Cookie Policy
©2021 1 Wine Dude
Yo yo YO!

Wine Tasters Guide InstagramWell, hello there!

If you like what you’re reading (and want to like more of what you’re drinking), consider subscribing.

If you’re up for a more immersive wine learning experience, check out my books and other services.

Cheers!

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.