Tiny samples and online talks have taken over from big rooms full of producers and consumers.
In a year the spirits world has successfully pivoted to the online arena - are virtual tastings here to stay?
Before March 2020, most of the industry had never heard of (let alone, attended) a "virtual tasting event"; one year into the pandemic and everything has changed.
Tastings, vineyard tours, and producer visits via screen are just about as commonplace as wine itself - and while many of us are experiencing a severe case of "Zoom Fatigue", there's no denying the impact that these screen events have had on producers' profitability, especially those working with little to no marketing budgets.
As the world continues to build connections via screens, a few questions remain. Do virtual tastings really have an impact on the lives (and moreover, sales) of small producers? Importers, distributors, and the small producers themselves have some thoughts.
Why virtual?
Josh Adler, founder of wine exporter Paris Wine Company, began hosting Zoom tastings and virtual visits and vineyard tours for trade and consumers during the spring of 2020.
"These tastings have allowed small producers to connect directly with importers and sales teams who might not have the chance to visit them in person - especially in 2020," he says. Adler additionally notes that being able to show where vines are located and what they look like have made it easier for teams to visualize where the wines come from, who made them, and the why behind it all. Paris Wine Company's virtual events have featured small, independent producers such as Baptiste Nayrand, Julien Cecillon, and Raphael Saint-Cyr.
On the distributor side of things, Brian Garcia of Grand Cru Selections has also been hosting virtual chats/tastings with winemakers for his on-premise and off-premise buyers. "Virtual events have been the only way for winemakers to have a direct connection to the people who champion their wines," he says. His lineup has included up-and-coming Chablis-based duo Eleni and Edouard Vocoret, Guillaume Lavollée of Genot-Boulanger, and expat Loire-based winemaker Brendan Stater-West. Garcia explains that the goal of these tastings is actually never really to sell wine, but more to provide a space for winemakers to communicate their story as authentically as possible. For small vignerons without large marketing budgets, virtual (and free) platforms have therefore become a game-changer.
Kristin Watts of Minnesota-based Zephyr Selections affirms that virtual tastings and visits have forged a more intimate connection with her buyers. "These tastings allow us to fully engage in telling the stories of small producers, as well as provide more time with the attendee without competition from other larger distributors, which was common when having to 'share the room' [pre-pandemic]." Watts highlights that accompanying presentations often help "transport" virtual attendees to a given place, which in turn, "almost always guarantees a deeper connection and likelihood to repurchase".
"I would say that IG and Zoom tastings have helped spark some curiosity about the wines and what I am doing here in Saumur," reveals Loire-based winemaker Brendan Stater-West (imported by Garcia, above). Stater-West founded his eponymous project back in 2015 and makes three small-batch cuvées. "Because I don't communicate well on Instagram, virtual events may interest some people to 'meet' the person behind the label," he says. Stater-West reveals that he has done about five or six virtual tastings over the last six months, hosted by importers/distributors such as Grand Cru Selections and Becky Wasserman, as well as US-based retailers, including Leon & Sons and Flatiron Wines & Spirits.
Lewis Kopman of Le Du's Wines says that virtual events have been particularly useful for new-to-market producers, especially for those whom farming is a big part of their story. "These virtual seminars enable us to take our customers into the vineyards and experience things first hand," he says. Elsewhere on the retail side of things, Eric Rydin of Le Grand Triage states that having a large and loyal audience, as well as a longer period of time to direct attention to smaller producers, has been an amazing way to showcase these winemakers and their stories.
"Pre-pandemic, and before the popularity of online tastings, the entire retail experience would typically last 5-10, maybe 15 minutes, and during that time period, there are literally hundreds of brands competing for that customer's attention," Rydin explains. "With virtual tastings, the amount of time we get to spend elaborating on the benefits of buying wine from and supporting smaller wine producers can be fundamentally more apparent."
Rydin has featured many small producers (sans large marketing budgets) including Yetti & the Kokonut, Gehricke, Day Wines, Aslina Wines, Rootdown Wine Cellars, Hermann J. Wiemer, and beyond. "If marketing is crudely put as paying to get someone's attention, then here we get huge engagement from a smaller audience as opposed to today's insatiable strategy of trying to get everyone's attention if only for a second," he says.
So, do these virtual events actually translate to dollars? "I would say wine often gets sold, but it's not always a straight line between event and sale," reveals Garcia. He recalls that after a Stater-West tasting that he hosted, one attendee subsequently purchased wine shortly after. "Brendan also got a spot in said attendee's holiday catalog," Garcia reveals. "Was it just because of the Zoom? No. Did the Zoom play a part? Probably."
Rydin notes that he's seen a small spike in sales from events featuring small producers, but not to the "meaningful degree" that he thinks importers and distributors would want to see. "I have seen the result of these virtual tastings as more of a genuine desire to explore the world of wine further, which in turn, creates more sales for other small producers," he explains.
Stater-West notes that he wasn't entirely sure to what extent virtual tastings would affect his sales, though he wasn't hesitant to take part in them. "After the virtual events, I noticed a good amount of activity on my Instagram account, as well as several importers who made some orders," he says, citing that while he cannot confirm whether it was directly linked, but that he's sure they helped spark interest in some way. "I definitely see an increase in interest in my wines - I have even had people from outside of the United States who would also like to purchase the wines, even import them into their respective countries. If I am asked to do more virtual events, I wouldn't hesitate at all!"
Watts notes that her attendees regularly buy wines post-virtual events. "If a wine is not already on the shelf at a retailer, it prompts the consumer to contact the supplier for an order, which in turn, also puts it up for consideration to be added to the shelf [in a more permanent place]," she says. "It plants the seed." Watts has noticed that the potential for immediate sales is more likely when samples and order sheets are distributed to attendees (as opposed to events without a tasting component).
At the end of the day, building brand awareness is likely the stronger outcome - and perhaps a better end result anyways. "Like any sort of marketing event, it's hard to measure the exact outcome" says Adler. "The events are more about connecting winemakers and their importers [to] people who enjoy the wines."
Garcia agrees. "It's about exposure, relationship building, and education. In other words, marketing matters and we're trying to earn people's attention." Kopman states that while Le Du's virtual seminars have definitely helped sell wine, the biggest value is found in the promotion of these small brands, as well as strengthening the store's relationship with said small producers.
"Overall, it is always an uphill battle to try and level the playing field with the big guys, but now that smaller distributors have navigated through the waters of 'pivoting' to online tastings, we are in a much better position than we were last March," says Watts, who feels that in the early days of the pandemic, consumers simply panic-bought wine based on brands that they already knew, which were likely larger names. She finds that in order to secure a long-lasting impact, importers and distributors will have to continue to host virtual events, even when in-store tastings and independent restaurants come back to the playing field. "Taking out any sort of competition, whether on a wine list or another table at an in-store tasting, as well as honing in on deepening the connection between the consumer and a small producer will create more loyalty. Always."
Adler sums it up best. "Online events can't replace an actual visit, but seeing a producer's face and hearing how they talk about their own wines can be transforming and memorable," he says.
Garcia reveals that if only one thing comes out of his virtual events, he hopes it's that he and his team have gotten a little better at hosting them. "I think they're here to stay".
