Where are we going...

Lately, it seems everywhere you turn we are hearing negativity when it comes to the wine industry. Yet, I feel nothing but optimism about the future. According to the wine press, consumption is down across the board, especially in younger generations. People are more actively participating in “Dry-anuary” and “Sober-tober,” younger generations are not gravitating towards wine at the same pace older generations did.  There seems to be an unease about what to do or how to fix the trend.

I believe it is part of my job (in addition to selling wine) to educate and make people feel more comfortable when purchasing wine.  I recently taught a wine class on California wines at Hashtag Gaming Arena in Herndon. The majority of the attendees were novices or had very little or no experience in wine.  They were afraid of going to a wine shop, or a website and buy wine because they did not know what to buy or how to describe what they liked.  By the end of the evening, all were excited to learn about wine and wanted to do it again, soon.

It restored my belief that the future is in fact bright.  But, I also realize that as a “Wine Professional” I need to do a better job of demystifying wine, and making people feel more at ease in buying wine and even beer.  This is why I believe the classes we are offering are so important.  It is an easy and simple means of making people more comfortable with wine no matter what level of experience they have.  I am constantly learning something new every time I take a sip of wine, read an article on wine and food, and I want to be able to pass it along to you.

As a result, this week will we change how we present our daily wine features.  We will give you a little background on the wine as well as a small description its flavors.  When you click on the wines in the eblasts there will be more information, including recommendations on pairings and other wines which are similar to the wine you are ordering.  All of this is an effort to make you more comfortable in your wine decisions. 

There is one other way to expose more people to the enjoyment of wine – it is you, our friends.  You can spread the word about how much you enjoy wine with your meals and particularly how you enjoy sharing wines with others.  If you have ever attended one of my classes, wine tastings or wine dinners, you will have heard me say: “There are three things which make a wine great – the food you enjoy with it, the wine itself and most importantly the people you share it with!”

Now, grab a bottle and share a glass with someone and tell us about the experience!