At the Vinitaly.USA conference in Chicago, Adam and Joanna received a question from someone working for a very well-known (and very successful) wine region. Despite this success, the person mentioned that wines from their region aren’t as well respected among sommeliers as they would like. In short, sommeliers don’t consider the region cool when compared to another. But does it really matter? If your wine brand or your wine region is popular among the public and continues to sell, do you really need the somm to think you’re cool?
It’s not necessarily a new fixation, but the fixation from large, major brands and famous wine regions on sommelier approval is interesting. Part of a sommelier’s job is to introduce guests to brands and regions they’re perhaps unfamiliar with depending on their taste preferences. If a product is well known enough to be called for specifically by name, you don’t necessarily need the sommelier to convince consumers to try it. So why do they want the approval so badly?
Today on the “VinePair Podcast,” Adam, Joanna, and Zach muse on a conversation from Vinitaly.USA about a wildly successful Italian wine region trying to get more acclaim and approval from sommeliers, and whether that even makes sense for such a financial juggernaut. Does marketing to and through sommeliers actually move the needle for brands, or is this more just about a very human desire for praise and attention from the most hyper-focused elements of the industry? Tune in for more.
Zach is drinking: 2015 Perrier-Jouët “Belle Époque” Champagne
Joanna is drinking: Improved Tequila Cocktail at Gus’ Sip & Dip
Adam is drinking: Llewelyn Wine “God Moving Over the Face of the Waters” Chardonnay
