CX Dive’s Post

What are some innovative wine tastings/experiences you have had lately? Innovative experience became a buzzword for including shinier elements (e.g., fancy glassware) in standard wine tastings. If you think the word innovative is overused, I don't disagree with you. For me, meaningful innovation is imaginative and ambitious. I looked forward to visiting Weltevrede Wine Estate in Robinson, the global winner of the 2023 Best of Wine Tourism awards by the Great Wine Capitals . In 2020, the unexpected COVID break created the opportunity to redevelop the tasting room and split the brand into Chardonnay and other wines. Now Weltevrede is all about Chardonnay; they produce three wines from the limestone-rich soils of Robertson. By pivoting its branding to Chardonnay Wine Estate, Wetevrede could focus on sharing its true passion for Chardonnay at every step of the customer experience journey. I went with the Captivated By Chardonnay tasting, which included three wines. The tour is essentially an underground (cellar) walking tour that explores the history of wine (and Chardonnay) and famed Chardonnay-producing regions to offer a global understanding of the terroir of Roberston Valley. Like an interactive, touchable, and sippable exhibition. There are three stops where you can taste and learn the stories of each wine through videos and discussions. Dull, monotonous wine tastings praising a single brand are not in sight! It's all about educational entertainment in a regional and global Chardonnay context! This case study demonstrates how defining (or redefining) brand values (starting with WHY) can fuel innovation in DTC and help build a community within and outside the region. By focusing on the BIG picture (Chardonnay) instead of tooting its own horn, Weltevrede delivers an immersive and educational wine experience and showcasing its wines in context creates a genuinely memorable experience. Thanks, Steyn Fullard, for hosting us! If you're a winery looking to elevate your DTC experience, cellar door sales and customer loyalty, please DM or email marcell@marcellkustos.com to arrange a meeting. I'd love to explore how Marcell Kustos Wine Consulting can help you reach your targets! #dtc #dtcwine #winetourism #winemarketing #winebusiness #southafricanwine #greatwinecapitals

The wine industry is facing challenges—big challenges. With sales declining and consumers cutting back on wine consumption to make ends meet, wineries are under pressure to adapt. Times are tough, and producers must get creative, innovative and resourceful. Read on to learn about the trends we see affecting the wine industry in 2025.

Why Snobbishness Hurts the Wine Industry Is the idea of the "wine snob" really what consumers want, or are we just deceiving ourselves? Do we have any solid studies to support this belief, or is it merely a narrative we’ve constructed? Wine enthusiasts haven’t had the option to enjoy wine without the snobbery, and I know many people who don’t find the snobbishness appealing, they simply enjoy wine and drink it. It seems we’re projecting assumptions that may not exist. We've built a framework around snobbery that lacks substantial evidence. The narrative that wine is complex and requires education has persisted for decades, yet sales continue to decline. If consumers were genuinely seeking that complexity, we should be seeing a surge in wine sales. This indicates a problem, and perhaps a focus on getting more people to enjoy wine by simplifying the experience could save struggling wine businesses and jobs. In what aspects of your life do you deliberately choose complexity, when a simpler, more straightforward solution is available? For example, would you prefer to spend on a custom website design and programming and take months to finalise your website, or would you rather use a user-friendly platform like Shopify to create your website in a few days if the results are the same? Do you prefer reports that simply provide facts and statistics, or do you prefer concise summaries that provide quick and clear information? If we gravitate towards simplicity in our personal choices, why do we insist that people can only appreciate wine through the complex and snobbish framework we’ve created? Perhaps the greatest innovation would be to return to our roots. We need to abandon the idea that wine must be viewed as inaccessible, where formal education is a prerequisite for enjoyment. Historically, winery owners embraced visitors with warmth and valued their feedback. Today, however, we often prioritize the opinions of wine critics over those of actual consumers. It's perplexing that we give more weight to paid ratings than to the customers who keep us in business. With shifts in consumer behaviour towards authenticity and inclusivity, perceptions of snobbery are changing. Many now view snobbishness negatively, associating it with exclusion and superficiality. Consumers increasingly seek genuine experiences and relatable brands, making them more likely to reject elitist attitudes in favour of authenticity and connection. Do you want to be perceived as a snob? Do you think snobbery is appealing? Over the past year, I've shared insights on the transformative power of the way wine speaks, engaging thousands of people on LinkedIn. The flood of supportive messages I have received shows the industry’s fatigue with elitism. Isn’t that a clear signal for change? Let’s take a moment to reflect, #rethink, and engage in meaningful conversations about this topic. #rethinkingthewineindustry #winebusiness #wineforum #winetalk #winesnob #wineculture

Maximizing Revenue: 2 Pillars of a Successful Wine Program Summary: A strong wine program isn't just about having an extensive selection of bottles. It's about understanding your audience, budgeting smartly, and continuously adapting. Here are the key takeaways from my latest blog post: - Know Your Audience: Balance premium and approachable options tailored to your clientele. - Budget Wisely: Align your wine inventory with realistic sales potential to maximize ROI. - Experiment and Adapt: Introduce new offerings, track performance, and prune underperforming items to free up cash flow. Dive deeper into these strategies to create a wine experience that enhances dining and profitability. 👉 Read the full blog post here https://lnkd.in/gtdGtFyh

Ten years ago to the day, Huon Hooke launched a crusade against Sommeliers and 'trendy' wine lists in a number of articles, detailing where he thought the On Trade was misaligned in comparison to the broader market. What followed was what some viewed as 'click bait' and what others thought of as a Wine Critic being 'out of touch'. Ten years on, two key brands that Huon went in to bat for: Wolf Blass and Lindemans, are now to be discontinued. Did these brands fail because the 'trendy' lists around town had abandoned them? Or did they not feature on these wine lists because their product offering had already become irrelevant? It seems that post pandemic, this kind of rock slinging has been put aside for.more collaborative approaches accross retail and the on trade, arbitrated by the brand owners, rather than critics. So what now for a struggling industry?

The ESOMAR-certified market research company Future Market Insights, Inc. predicted that the wine subscription market will grow by more than 20% in the next ten years, reaching 3.9 billion USD in 2033. To dive deeper into this trend, I interviewed Louis Amoroso, the co-founder and CEO of Full Glass Wine Co., the company behind wine subscription labels such as Splash Wines, Scout & Cellar, Winc, Bright Cellars, and Wine Insiders. He explained how joining a wine subscription service can help producers expand their consumer base and enhance brand recognition. (Special thanks to Daniela DiLeo for coordinating the interview.) #wines #wineindustry #winesubscription #brandbuilding #b2b #interview

Thanks Jim de Jager for the clear and concise description of our added value. Digital (r)evolution in this industry is SO important.... WINEing #winebusiness #rethinkingthewineindustry #wineries #dtc

Totally agree! The wine industry’s obsession with complexity and snobbery is driving people away. Most just want to enjoy a good glass without feeling intimidated. Consumers are seeking authenticity and connection, not elitism. It’s time to ditch the old narrative, focus on simplicity, and make wine approachable for everyone. Let’s listen to real people, not just critics, and bring the joy back to wine. #RethinkWine #Authenticity #winebusiness

🍇 What if buying wine was a community event, where you could get premium bottles at lower prices? WineING is redefining the way we shop for wine together. Most online wine sales follow a direct-to-consumer (DTC) model, where buyers purchase individually, often paying retail prices. WineING changes the game by introducing group buying. Here, multiple buyers join a deal to meet a minimum order quantity. When that target is reached, everyone benefits from bulk discounts. It’s a collaborative approach that lets buyers access wines at better prices without committing to a full case, while wineries reach more customers without relying on single large orders. How WineING’s Platform Works The Offer: Wineries list specific wines on WineING, setting a minimum order quantity for the deal to activate. Buyers can join by committing to a certain number of bottles. Collaborative Buying: Buyers track how close the group is to reaching the target and can share the deal to help reach the goal faster. Once enough buyers join, everyone who participated gets the discount. Fulfillment: When the minimum order is reached, the winery processes and ships each order directly. If the quantity isn’t met in time, the deal expires, and buyers aren’t charged. Benefits for Buyers and Wineries 💰 For Buyers: WineING is ideal for casual buyers or groups looking to access better prices without large orders. Event planners, for example, benefit from group orders without the need for complex negotiations or full cases. 🍷 For Wineries: WineING enables wineries to reach new audiences, clear inventory, and promote limited-edition or seasonal stock. Wineries only need to list products and set a minimum quantity. 🚚 Tackling Logistics Challenges Shipping smaller orders can be costly. WineING could partner with third-party logistics providers to consolidate smaller shipments or negotiate discounted rates for multiple orders from the same winery. Adding tools to encourage buyers to share deals could also help fulfill orders faster. WineING brings a fresh approach to wine sales, making quality wines accessible through group buying. For wineries, it’s an opportunity to reach new buyers and move inventory efficiently.

https://lnkd.in/dqiBRhtR This is an excellent article by wine expert Robert Joseph, discussing how small wineries can come together, leverage each other's strengths, and form a strong team to thrive and succeed. As the demand for wine declines, a new way of thinking and approach in the wine industry is needed to attract other (younger) generations of potential wine drinkers, especially for long-term success. Working together to promote the wine industry makes sense. Working together requires trust first and foremost so a common understanding of the benefits and objectives is an important requirement. The article mentions obstacles for which i would like to propose potential solutions. 1️⃣ Collection & Distribution challenge A central SaaS platform could manage logistics (operated by a logistics provider) for all participating wineries, coordinating inventory, combine orders, and shipments efficiently. This provided the wineries are in one region to reduce complexity. 2️⃣ Data privacy concerns The same SaaS platform can provide secure, encrypted data-sharing features. This ensures that wineries share only the data necessary for collaboration, reducing fears of misuse (by other wineries). There is much more to it of course and the examples mentioned in this article show that it is possible and happening today. I am curious about your opinion. DM please.