The future of online wine tastings….
2020 a historic year; The US Elections, the spread of wildfires in a global pandemic and…. the true birth of online events. The growth of Online Wine Tastings (OWT) marked a sea change in wine events never experienced by the consumer before. Zoom and similar platforms brought whole new audiences to wines and more around the globe. The shift was unprecedented but three years on, is online here to stay or is its future virtually dead? – Abbie Bennington
It’s a topic close to my heart, ABVTastings was created at the height of the pandemic running virtual educational events for wine lovers who could buy pre-set wines, log on, learn and socialise. So did many others.
Take the Online Wine Tasting Club, it describes itself as “A blend between The One Show and Top Gear for wine lovers” founded by Jamie Smith and Alex Taylor. Their 1400 strong members join monthly tastings receive wine samples in (award winning) eco-friendly pouches. The company sends out around 700 letterbox packs each month.
Logan Labrouche
Jamie believes virtual events still have a massive place in the wine/beer/spirits world giving “Consumers the flexibility to try new things with anonymity. Online is here to stay, it gives everybody a chance to taste great wines and be educated”. As the night’s draw in and the cost-of-living crisis bites this could be the ultimate winter warmer experience?
Their model has been replicated by many others such as international private members club 67 Pall Mall. They spearheaded the online tasting movement for high end drinks during the pandemic, later launching 67 Pall Mall TV. Despite huge success they have “paused” virtual events a spokesperson told me. Does this mark a decline in their wider popularity?
This shift has been echoed by VIVANT, once regarded as an innovative wine experience platform where samples were sent to consumers who could book onto live tastings. This was the brainchild of Silicon Valley tech pioneer Michael Baum, now of Chateaû de Pommard fame. The project closed in June this year and now their resources are being invested back into their Burgundian vineyards says the website.
Perhaps the future for online lies with education and big money. The Bordeaux Wine School a well-funded operation rode the pandemic by setting up webinars for consumers and others to train the trade globally. Logan Labrouche, International Digital Project Manager says that the pandemic allowed them to “centralise” all digital assets offering a huge range of content via Bordeaux online, from masterclasses to app-based learning modules. Such investment has suggested that there is a synergy of need between the online and physical world.
Blending in person and online events is something that IWC award winning Wine Tasting Company Thirty Fifty have spearheaded. Founders Chris and Jane Scott have been in business for 20 years, I spoke to Chris about this move to hybrid events (where individuals are either face to face with a lecturer or dialling in from home via zoom). It’s this innovative move which serves both needs making Thirty Fifty one of the few if not only hybrid wine education provider. (Full disclosure I also run many of their hybrid WSET courses and yes they do work!).
Chris says “Hybrid gives flexibility for students, given the rail strikes situation or candidates being ill or going abroad learning remotely with the hybrid option really works. If participants can’t make a session, they can watch recordings back”.
But what of the future of technology and wine tastings? “The more technology you use the more opportunity there is for things to go wrong” says Chris “keeping things as simple as possible is key”. This is why Zoom is their favoured online platform given its huge uptake in the first lockdown and continued use by many people.
Despite many lucrative brands stepping back, I for one believe that virtual events will continue to be an important part of wine education and entertainment. As another unusual set of events, high inflation, costs of living and heating bite. Those seeking their wine chosen wine experience will hunker down once again giving virtual tastings the chance to flourish, far from being virtually dead.