Hard work in America 24 October 2007

Chris Williams pounds the pavements of the world. selling his wine
(and discovering Big Ass Zin)

I am sure that my fellow winemakers will agree that over the last few years the demands of marketing wine have increased tremendously. Winemaking always involved a degree of interaction with the market, such as presenting tastings, winemaker dinners and retail outlet visits. However, it seems in the last few years these activities have increased somewhat, leading to more and more time being spent in the market. I have always thought that this was a good thing, not only for a winemaker to give their particular perspective on their own wines, but also to take cues from their customers as to what a particular market looks for in a specific wine.

So it is usually the second half of the year that sees many winemakers traveling, not only locally but internationally as well. I recently made a trip to the USA for this purpose, spending two weeks on the east coast visiting retails accounts, restaurants and  giving presentations to the sales staff.

It is intimidating enough arriving in the USA. Immigration and customs officials have a stern edginess about them which  is probably intended to discourage visitors or immigrants from traveling to the USA. This is reflected in the difficulty in getting a Visa and in the steep decline in tourism to the USA.

Once in the country though, I find the USA a very hospitable place. The people that I interacted with are incredibly friendly, helpful and polite. The one thing I noticed however is that their sense of humour in completely different to what I’m used to, traveling mainly in the UK. The language is the same but Americans don’t seem to get the cynical black humour and wit of the British.

One thing that is very clear is the industriousness of the Americans. The ones I met work very hard, for long hours with a focus on building networks and driving sales. This is an incredibly competitive society which loves innovation and “newness” in all its forms. This is particularly true of the wine market. Wine is a relatively “new” experience  for most consumers in the US and its rise over the last few years is a result of the changing lifestyles and particularly the diet, driven by European and Asian cuisine and the phenomenon of the “celebrity chef”. Wine is now seen as a status symbol and lifestyle accessory, and while the Americans may not have a lot of leisure time, they do have disposable income, and so when they do open a bottle with friends, it should make a statement.

The other thing that struck me in the USA is how many “cartoon” wine labels there are, as well a wines and brands that try to be irreverent, taking the old-style snobbery out of wine. Try “Big Ass Zin” as a good example, with a cartoon label re-enforcing the mental image. I was also told about  a noted pornographic film star who  has her own range of wines and she has married the owner of a chain of wine shops for good measure, to assure distribution. I was told that she is a savvy businesswoman who is already a millionaire in her own right.

I was also impressed by how quickly the  Americans I met have educated themselves about wine. Many of the sommeliers are French or Italian, but the wine store buyers tend to be self taught with a good general knowledge of the world of wines and a palate to match their knowledge. It is a myth that Americans favour their own wine. All of the shops and wine lists I saw have a majority of  European wines, mainly Italian and French, with Spain, Australia and New Zealand making up the rest of the foreign wines. Most stores have a dozen or so South African wines, usually the same labels so it was interesting to see which Cape producers are making inroads into that market, it is not who one expects!

South Africa has a long way to go in the States – we barely register as a country, let alone as a wine producer. Quality is a given, the pricing has to be right, an interesting story and time spent pounding the pavements will be required for individual producers to crack this market.

And so to London
October also sees the WOSA mega tasting in London, over two days. The first day saw seven hours with the UK trade and press, followed by a “consumer” tasting lasting to 9pm. Tickets were sold for winelovers to come and taste South African wines and chat with winemakers about their wines. This type of event has a lot of potential but it meant a very long day behind the stand. These types of shows are quite an investment to attend and as a producer I have to rely on my agent to get key people to taste and discuss the wines at my stand. I see these events more as a brand building exercise than resulting directly on sales on the day to the trade.

Winex is different in that it is very much a consumer show with a “Shop at Show” facility for the public to order wines on the night. While I attend Winex mainly as a brand building opportunity, a significant amount of wine is purchased in the heat of the moment by the public.

What about the coalface itself?
Back to the vineyard and we have had a very good, even bud burst. The cold wet winter has ensured uniformity in budding and plenty of soil moisture for steady growth. We have just planted some young vines which are doing very well and there is no disease at this stage despite quite a bit of spring rain, I think we can thank the south-easter for drying out the vineyards.

In the cellar we are selecting and blending the 2007 wines and returning them to barrel for maturation. The quality of the latest vintage is very promising. The raw material has potential but it is still too early to make a definitive judgment of the reds of 2007.