Good Grape Wine Company

January 29 2007

Interesting Wine Marketing Idea #59

A couple of things have hit me as a rejoinder to a post last week where I referenced a site that only gives wine rating points for the wine wonks among us.  Just points.  It’s a 94.  Or, it’s an 89.  That’s it.  No notes, no descriptions, just wine porn for the action-oriented.  Foreplay via flowery descriptions need not apply.  But, I guess now, we also have the exact opposite—wine and wine information to address those that like the soft touch of a gentle wine lover.

Mark at Uncorked references an article in Brand Week (and give Brandweek a double shameful whammy for the grimace inducing, cliché -invoking headline, “Design:  Old Wine, New Bottles:  Who Will Swallow It?”) from a week ago that reviews Amazing Food Wine Co. from New York that, according the article:

“… Takes the guesswork out of pairing wine with food.  Thus, Wine That Loves Pizza, Wine That Loves Pasta, Wine That Loves Roasted Chicken.”

Here’s where the article becomes particularly interesting:

WTL (Wine That Loves) is another example of the trend of introducing the masses to experiences typically reserved for the wealthy.  In this case, the job of the white-table cloth sommelier is done for you.

Um … okay.  Last I checked, though, anybody, read:  ANYBODY that is interested in a wine and food pairing probably has the resources to go to a white table cloth restaurant at least two to three times a year—birthday, anniversary and Valentine’s Day seem like notable dining occasions for even the most parsimonious.

But, more interestingly, as Mark at Uncorked points out, the wines DO NOT carry a wine year, varietal or any regional information.  But, they will carry information for a flavor intensity, tannins and acidity.

Why in the world would you not put the grape variety on there, but put the tannins?

Also, in a nod to the marketers, because this is a BrandWeek article, they note that consumers will take to the wine in a self-actualizing way and say, “Wine That Loves to Get Me Drunk,” etc.

Groan.

In a separate but related note, maybe high-end wine lovers and those that consider themselves wine consumers, but aren’t obsessive (unlike the wine blogosphere) give too little credit to our wine drinking brethren downstream. Maybe they will be down with this program. Case in point: when I was in Napa recently, I tried to secure some Les Mistral for a professional acquaintance of mine—he and his wife enjoy wine and in particular they love the Les Mistral from Joseph Phelps.  He couldn’t find it in our local market and, thus, I thought I’d try to help out and get some from the winery.

Come to find out that the current vintage (’04) is gone—no more left and the next vintage (’05) is due for release in May.  Well, in explaining that there was no wine available of the current vintage (a $30 bottle) to my professional acquaintance friend, he said, “Hmm … I didn’t know they ran out” as if it were a box of macaroni and cheese.

So, there you have it.  Maybe there is a market for “Wine That Loves Grocery Store Rotisserie Chicken” and “Wine That Loves Bagged Pasta Dinners.” There are a lot of people out there that buy wine that know next to nothing about it except that it tastes good. 

We should send a memo to the fun and irreverent wine review blog, Neil Drinks Wine.  Surely, he’ll want to start working on his pop culture references to review these wines.  Though, he actually drinks some decent vino, his reviews smack you upside the head like a bottle of “Wine That Goes With Sorority Girls at a Six Kegger.” In this regard, he might help prime the pump for getting some of the target market for “Wine That Loves Hamburger Helper” into a deeper wine experience. 

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