It’s awards season in Tinseltown, and we have not been disappointed by the dramahhhh. So far, we’ve had the Golden Globes, the Annual Critics’ Choice and the SAG Awards. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri cleaned up at all three. Oprah delivered an acceptance speech that had the world begging her to run for president. The KWEENS of Hollywood wore black in solidarity to victims of sexual harassment and assault. And Mariah Carey accidentally stole Meryl Streep’s seat *facepalm*.

With nine or so nights left of the 2018 season, drama is as guaranteed as red carpet. But there’s only one that we’ll really be paying attention to. Hollywood’s night of nights, the big one, the 90th Academy Awards… aka The Oscars.

Whether you’re a genuine fan or a hate-watcher, we’ve made like sommeliers to the stars and put together a drinks list for the evening. If only to distract you from the inevitable “Thank you, God,” speeches…. Enjoy.

Best Musical/Comedy

Natural wine. Why? Because, like a musical or a comedy, it can make you laugh, it can make you cry, it can delight you, enlighten you and transform you.

Or it can just annoy the $^%& shit out of you.

Best Foreign Language

Something imported… obvs.

But it has to be something you can say with a lisp, a kiss or a sigh… preferably something you can tell your friends you discovered “the last time [you] were in *insert country*”…

Best Short Film

A half bottle of something. We’d go Champagne, because #oscars.

Best Music

A Martini, shaken not stirred, is the standard here (always), but this year it has to be whisky served in your favourite limited-edition replica tumblers that Jim Beam made especially for the original Bladerunner that you bought on eBay because it’s the Greatest. Movie. Ever. Period.*

Or Jawa juice. But no one knows WTF that is anyway.

*Anna’s editor note; Dan actually believes this and does own said glasses. #nerdalert

Best Visual Effects

A ridiculously complex cocktail mixed by your local fabulous mixologist. It’ll be impressive, fancy, full of flare, smoke and maybe even a mirror. Hopefully, it’ll taste good but after waiting 15 minutes for them to make this masterpiece you’ll wish you just ordered a gin and tonic.

Best Writing

This must be a wine a sommelier has written up on their wine list in an attempt to showcase their incredible vinous vocabulary. Preferably a wine that “juxtaposes the complex matrix of thyols with a… blah blah blah why are you still talking I just don’t care …”

But honestly, just take a punt on a wine you’ve never heard of, nor can pronounce, as honestly, it doesn’t matter. You’re going to forget what it was the minute you finish it anyway.

Much like whoever wins this award…. Zing!

Best Picture

Walk into the wine store and buy the wine with the prettiest wine label. We’ve all done it — this is the time to embrace it.

And heck, at this stage of the night, the label will probably be the only thing you remember anyway.

Best Actress

While the academy of old white men may suggest something aromatic, pretty, perfumed, delicate and perfectly poised, forget that shit and grab something bold, robust with a solid dose of sass. AMIRITE, SISTAS?!

Best Actor

For this Oscar vintage, it should be something shy and retiring, definitely reserved and with a quiet humility. Very. Quiet.

Or, perhaps, insist on something with a lack of back bone, bitter aftertaste and a touch of regret.

*double ahem*

Thanks for reading this very tongue in cheek rant.

I’m the the founder and CEO of REVEL, an events and media company which lives to create experiences that people love and learn from. You can also find me on Twitter or Instagram.

Last week, wine industry leader Darren De Bortoli posted a photo of two women in a wine barrel with the caption “Whip me, crush me, make me whine. I love the idea of all those nubile virgins vigorously squishing my grapes during vintage time” on his personal Facebook feed, which was set to ‘public’.

Darren is Managing Director of De Bortoli wines, one of the most significant wine brands in the country. He is also a member of the Medium Winemakers Committee & an Alternate Board member of the Winemakers Federation of Australia (WFA); the peak Australian wine industry body.

Corrina Wright, winemaker at Oliver’s Taranga and fellow board member of the WFA, posted the below in response:

‘“Statements and comments like this really disappoint and frustrate me. You are a leader of our industry; you sit (with me) on the board of WFA, the peak wine industry body. You are a leader in your region. You are the leader of a respected wine business. People look up to you and your achievements and your voice carries weight. You have held this respect for a long time and worked hard to get it. You have also heard me talk around the WFA board table and elsewhere about the need for cultural change in our industry. We are one of many industries in which women are seriously under-represented. We are less than 10% in production roles, yet we are 50% in the university courses. When leaders such as yourself make comments such as these, it makes it so much harder for women such as myself to be taken seriously in my work. It makes it harder for the next female graduate to be taken seriously. It also makes it okay for this sort of everyday sexism under the banner of humour to be normalised. This makes it okay for the next generation of men coming through to do the same.

It is actually not okay. It is undermining, sexist and doesn’t make good business sense to alienate 50% of your market/employees/industry. I bust my arse to do what I do, and it really makes me sad and terribly frustrated to see language like this perpetuated.”

A measured and fair response if there ever was one.

Sadly, the vitriol and hurtful messages Corrina received in response to her response were typical, and there’s no point in repeating them. You’d find them sadly all too familiar and just reiterates the need for avenues for women to feel safe and supported when speaking out.

The post was taken down and apologies ensued, with Darren himself stating “A post of mine which was deemed offensive was never meant to be and it has been removed. I apologise to all of those that deemed it to be offensive which was never the intent. I hope this now puts this matter to rest.”

No, Darren. It doesn’t.

The De Bortoli family were rightly quick to respond with a statement on Facebook, distancing themselves by stating that the post by no means represented their company values. Which it of course, does not.

The WFA also tweeted “WFA does not support or condone comments made by Mr De Bortoli. His personal statements do not reflect the views and culture of WFA. WFA strives to create an incl. envt. for women in the wine industry. These comments are not OK and WFA recognises our need to step up here.”

But are these statements enough? Is reminding him of his position really enough?

Australian wine has never been more progressive, forward thinking and exciting as it is right now, so we, as the greater wine community, have a right to expect our leaders and national organisations reflect this in who they are.

It’s one of many reasons why Darren’s comments beggar belief. It’s incredibly out of touch with the current climate.

In the midst of #metoo, women’s marches, Harvey Weinstein and more, how do men still believe it’s okay to say, post, even think such things? And to say “I’m sorry you deemed it offensive”, and not take full and proper responsibility for their actions, is just not enough.

It’s 2018 for goodness’ sake.

The DeBortoli family are in a tough bind. It’s a significant wine company in Australia and knowing Leanne De Bortoli personally, I can imagine the genuine embarrassment and I wholeheartedly believe they’re sorry this ever happened. It’s not who they are as people or a brand. I also understand Leanne has reached out to Corrina many times personally in the past week saying as much.

Yet the fact Darren is an influential member of the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia remains problematic.

Regardless of his apology, his views, whether personal or public, are at odds with who we believe and need them to be as an organisation.

They have been presented with an opportunity to draw a clear line in the sand and say ‘No’. This is not acceptable and we must call for his resignation.

Doing so will send a message that we not only expect more of our leaders, but go a long way in supporting women in the wine industry. As Corrina noted in the above comment, 50% of university winemaking courses are filled by women, yet only 10% of production roles. It’s no where near enough.

To do nothing would endorse the outdated misogyny that we, as a wine community, must move far away from. By allowing such casual sexism to go unchecked is to ignore the need for a deep cultural change in the way in which women are viewed. That can only change when true action is taken.

This is no small thing.

The industry is watching. Ignore at your peril.

This is not the first time Corrina has has to call such things out. She discusses it below in her talk at Wine Day Out in 2016, an event my company, REVEL, run.

Subsequently, she has been asked back to that same show as Chairperson. Change can happen.

Thirty seconds to a minute is all the time a sommelier has to work out what wine a person might like, and that also matches both their dish and price point. When you consider the large, encyclopaedic lists many restaurants have, it sounds as daunting as it does impossible.

But it isn’t.

The skill resides in effective communication. Asking a few key questions and, most importantly, listening to the answers helps you guide a guest to where they feel comfortable, or to their exploratory boundaries.

In all my time as a sommelier, I have never sold a bottle a wine based on facts and figures; always on style and story. When it comes down to it, your customers are not there to have dinner with you and they’re certainly not there for a masterclass, so good sommeliers know to keep it simple without dumbing it down. With such limited time, bamboozling people with winemaking bullshit is neither helpful nor useful.

I used to drill this into my sommelier staff by asking them to describe a wine and timing their responses. Often it would be along the lines of: “Well, it was picked at 13.5 baume, did its primary fermentation in stainless before being transferred to new French oak, from Seguin Moreau with a light toast, before a little battonage to build some texture as well as a partial malolactic fermentation of 30%…” You get the drift.

Say that to someone who knows wine and they’ll look at you, annoyed, and say: “Please go away and get me a glass of wine.”

Say that to someone who doesn’t know wine, and they’ll still look at you, annoyed, and say: “Please go away and get me a glass of wine.”

The issue is getting caught up in the winemaking process without giving your customers a connection to people, place or story. We remember stories more than facts and figures. Why? Because they’re more interesting than stainless steel tanks.

A scenario …

Imagine enquiring about the steak in a restaurant, and hearing this from your waiter in response: “This is grass-fed Angus beef from Gippsland, that was put it on a truck and taken to the abattoir, where it was stunned, its throat was slit, its blood was drained and it was stripped of its skin before being sawed into smaller pieces. It was then cryovaced and left in a warehouse before being sent here, where we dry aged it until it had a light covering of grey rot. We then scraped that off and cut it into steaks.” Still want to order it?

Don’t get me wrong, what happens from paddock to plate is vitally important, but I don’t necessarily want to hear about it over dinner. As a diner, I’d like to assume your produce is from ethical and sustainable sources and I feel confident in that because I trust the chef. It’s the same with a wine or wine list. Assume the sommelier has already done the hard work. Trust and be guided by what they share with you.

Before our events, we say to our wine producers: “… if we hear one mention of baume levels, trestling systems, clonal selections or any other of that winemaking bullshit, we’ll yellow card you.”

While a tad militant, our point is the winemaking process shouldn’t be the default nor opening line.

Why not start with “Hello?”

Much like a sommelier in a restaurant, at an event a producer has between 30 seconds to a minute to tell their story and make a connection with the guest in front of them. Telling them who they are, where they’re from, why they’re there and what style of wine they make will have far more resonance than any production method.

It’s the vinous equivalent of an elevator pitch.

Is yours good enough?

For those I haven’t met, I’m the the founder and CEO of REVEL, an events and media company which lives to create experiences that people love and learn from. You can also find me on Twitter or Instagram.

Cheers!

THE WINE ELEVATOR PITCH was originally published in REVEL.global on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The Internal Wine War: Apollo vs Dionysus

On a recent flight back from Perth on Qantas’s very comfortable A330, I decided to watch Stephen Fry’s live show, recorded in Sydney on his most recent tour.

In it, he spoke of the Apollonian and Dionysian philosophies highlighted in Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy. The Apollonian is the form, structure and rational thought of man. The opposite is the Dionysian, where emotion, drunkenness, madness, enthusiasm and ecstasy influence individual will. For those of the vinous mind among us, this may sound familiar. Dionysus is, after all, the god of wine.

Fry then went on to explain, with tongue firmly planted in cheek, that most things in life can be explained using Star Trek. On one side Captain Kirk had his fiercely logical friend Spock (Apollo), offering rational and impassive solutions to the issues he faced. On the other was Bones (Dionysus), full of emotion, passionately and unequivocally opposed and frustrated by the unaffected Spock. Each argued their point and position at every crisis the Enterprise faced and it was up to Kirk (us) to find the balanced solution. Often with scantily clad aliens.

Onto my third glass of Chardonnay, I started thinking about how true this is for wider world of wine and why there is a constant battle between the two philosophies: the analytical and the emotional.

It made me think of the various vinous camps of MWs, MSs, sommeliers, writers, analysts, retailers, importers, wholesalers, reps, winemakers, viticulturists, marketers and PRs, all attempting to bring a sense of reason and logical thought to the Dionysian consumer.

The critic, for example, attempts to analyse and dissect a wine, applying reason to what should be an emotional response. Even people who don’t know wine still know what they like. Our default is Dionysiac. Wine gives us pleasure.

As wine professionals, it’s our job to take on the burden of analysing and dissecting a wine in order to wholly understand it. But we do this so others don’t have to. Even within us, there lies an animalistic desire to just switch off and consume. Far too often the quest for reason, understanding and knowledge is at the expense of our emotions.

While some of the best wine writers are able to pull on our emotional strings (Andrea Frost especially), sadly they are few and far between. If the aim is to engage consumers, it is so important that the language used engages them on an emotional level first.

Winemaking jargon not only intimidates, it isolates. Leave the reasoning to the converted.

We can’t be emotional all the time, and finding the balance between (the Captain Kirk, to use Fry’s metaphor) the emotional and analytical is one of life’s great challenges.

But, keep in mind that there’s no more appropriate place to submit to our inner Dionysus than wine.

Originally published on my personal blog in 2014. Still relevant today I would suggest.

The Internal Wine War: Apollo vs Dionysus was originally published in REVEL.global on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Like the rest of us, Facebook has a New Year’s resolution, but guess what? It’s all about you.

Facebook is rolling out a new algorithm to better connect you with your friends on your News Feed. In short, this new algorithm will prioritise posts, stories and photos based on what your friends “…react to, comment on or share” in order to facilitate “deeper, more meaningful conversations with the people you care about”.

But what does this mean for publishers, brands and business pages? Well, it could mean a significant drop in page traffic if you don’t pay to play. Getting your message out there could get very expensive very quickly.

Bummer.

On the positive side, the new algorithm should clean out your personal News Feed quite a lot, hiding posts from pages you really aren’t interested in anymore but are too lazy to ‘unfollow’ or ‘unlike’. But by the same token, the content you’re sharing from your page is just as likely to go unseen.

So now, more than ever, the content you create must put your audience first.

It is no longer good enough to simply broadcast updates, facts, stats or promote ‘Buy Me’ call-to-actions. Do so, and the struggle will be real. If you focus on meaningful engagement, your audience will react with comments, tags and shares, and your content will perform much better.

But this shouldn’t be anything new. This type of content should always be the primary focus of your content strategy.

The first questions you should ask yourself when you’re creating a post for your page is ‘Why will people care?’ and ‘Is this shareable?’

According to Facebook data, on average we scroll through 93 metres of Facebook News Feed every day. To put that in context, that’s the height of New York City’s Statue of Liberty.

That’s an insane volume of content we’re scanning and consuming, so what you produce needs to be compelling and attention-grabbing not only in order to get someone to stop, even for a few seconds, but look at, read and interact with before they scroll on.

You must give your audience a reason to both engage with and share your content. Luckily, there is one simple way to do so: Solve. People’s. Problems.

For wine brands, it is no longer enough to just say ‘Visit our Cellar Door’ or ‘Buy my wine’. Your focus should be a broader narrative about who you are and where you’re from. How do you live?

As an example, if you want me to buy your wine, tell me why I should buy it, how I can buy it, where else is it available, in what wine bars, retail stores or restaurants and where are they in my area?

Then, once I’ve bought it, what should I cook with it? What recipe do you recommend? What kind of meat and where should I buy it? And if what you recommend is local produce, then who and where are they? Tell me about them. Tell me a complete narrative. How can your product integrate into my life?

The biggest problem we all have is a lack of time so help people solve it.

Everyone is busy, after all.

“OK. I’ll just boost my posts to my page fans.”

Sure. That’s an option, but it’s very much a scatter gun approach, and you’ll only really reach those who already like your page. Even then, you might not be reaching the people you actually want.

Data tells us only 3.9% of people who ‘like’ a festival’s brand page actually purchase tickets to that festival. Something to consider if you’re trying to sell your wine via your Facebook page or attempting to target someone else’s.

Strategic Facebook audience targeting is now more critical than ever in ensuring you reach the right people so the dollars you spend can go the distance. You literally cannot afford not to.

And the best way to start is to create compelling, engaging content that solves people’s problems.

Hey, thanks for reading and making it to the end. If you enjoyed, I’d really appreciate you giving it a little clap or, even better, share it.

I’m the the founder of REVEL, an events and media company which lives to create experiences that people love and learn from. You can also find me on Twitter or Instagram.

Cheers!

New Year, New Facebook: What these new changes could mean for your wine brand was originally published in REVEL.global on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The phrase “No one has a monopoly on busy” is one I seem to use a lot. But last week it was thrown right back at me by a friend who was chasing me (again) for information that she needed — information that would be beneficial to me, too (it’s on its way, Angela!). And my response to her?

“I’m busy.”

In my defence, I’ve been working hard trying to get enough done that I’ll be able to take a well-earned break over Christmas, and come back refreshed in the new year.

But even as I used this all-too-familiar excuse, I could feel how poor it sounded. And it got me thinking about what I regard as the single most important piece of business advice I’ve ever received.

Allow me tell you a story.

It was about three years ago, and I was having one of those weeks. Everything was just a bit too much. So what did I do? Grabbed a glass of wine (or six) with my wine legend mate Andrea Frost, and tried to complain the stress away.

I dumped all of my woes, frustrations, doubts, challenges, and general stresses surrounding my (then) fairly new business right onto her. Once I was done, Andrea turned to me and said:

“Dan. You need to remember, no one asked you to do this.”

I was floored. Silenced. I’d just been dealt a proverbial tsunami of truth.

No one asked me to run one wine event (let alone multiple events in various cities and countries) in the same way no one asked you to plant grapes and make wine. Or open that shop or start that brand or other business. The world will go on quite well without any of us.

We are the only people who decided to do this thing. So it’s up to me to take responsibility for mine and own it, and for you to own yours.

Don’t get me wrong — I get it. Business is a tough, relentless, all-consuming beast. It can be lonely and sometimes all you want to do is scream, “What the FUCK am I doing this for?!”

But we both know we wouldn’t have it any other way because we bloody love what we do. And if you don’t love what you do, then stop doing it right now.

This advice was, for me, truly humbling and brought me back into the present reality. Much like the ancient Roman generals who ordered slaves to stand behind them after a victorious battle and whisper repeatedly, “You are still mortal.”

We are all busy.

We’re all working our butts off trying to get things done and the struggle is very real. But remember, in those moments of small business panic, breathe and whisper the words “No one asked me to do this.” Make it your mantra. Then, regroup and get on with it.

No one has a monopoly on busy. Even at this time of year.

The Single Greatest Piece of Business Advice I’ve Ever Received was originally published in REVEL.global on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Let’s get one thing straight: I am not a fan of Christmas. I am basically the Grinch. Bah humbug, merry kiss my arse and all that.

I put my ill-feelings towards this season down to a 15-odd-year frontline hospitality career, dealing with one office party after another. For me, Christmas Day was a tiny chance to recover (if I was lucky) before Hospo Nightmare Number Two: New Year’s Eve.

But however you feel about it, now that we’re down to the final 12 Days of Christmas, I say we all need some of “Santa’s Little Helper” to get us through the chaos, overly exuberant cheer (seriously, how are people that damn cheerful?) and, of course, to help you deal with that office douchebag.

Here’s my 12 Days of Christmas drinking guide to get you through the final days of the “festive” season.

December 14th
Melbourne’s hot weather has done a sterling job of distracting you from the fact Christmas is under two weeks away. But don’t fight it; embrace it. Head to Bar Liberty‘s Drinkwell and order a bag of Patrick Sullivan’s Rosé.

It’s pink for goodness’ sake. Not even you can drink it in bad mood.

December 15th
It’s the second-last Friday of work for the year, and your last opportunity to get a few things done before the Christmas party onslaught hits. Celebrate by taking your favourite customer or client out for a light lunch. A bit of chargrilled octopus drizzled with lemon and a glass of foine white woine might do the trick.

Try a little Greek number. It will remind you of where you’d rather be,

December 16th
The penultimate Saturday night before the big day means it’s likely your final chance for a Tinder date. So go on, buy that bottle of Pinot Noir (we recommend the Moondarra) — everyone knows Pinot makes you sexy. But don’t go too crazy on the dollars. Next time you catch up it’ll be 2018 and with that new year will come a “new me” mentality. She’ll either not be drinking, or be ready to swipe on.

December 17th
There is a flurry of activity around town and most responsible people are finishing off their Christmas shopping. But you’re not most people, so instead you avoid the crowds and head to the pub in search of the one thing that will never disappoint you: Beer.

And gee, the Sample Brew you picked is good. Don’t worry about your Christmas shopping for the moment. You’ll get it done during the week when it’s less crowded. For sure you will.

December 18th
There’s a week until Christmas and that friend who holds your group of mates together has decided tonight is the night you all have to catch up for a festive drink. An early-evening picnic has been dictated, so you’re going to need a couple of tinnies. But you don’t want beer — this calls for something stronger. Head to Meatsmith and pick up a couple of Continental Deli’s Martinnies. Genius.

December 19th
The office Christmas party. But before you can get stuck into the overpriced function wine at lunch, the self-appointed Culture Captain of the office has put together a bunch of activities all in the name of team building. Thankfully you snuck in a little hand grenade in the form of a 500ml bottle of Brian to make it bearable.

December 20th
Item number one on today’s agenda: Get an Aperol Spritz immediately, otherwise your hangover from last night’s staff party may literally kill you. This “adult Fanta” is the perfect morning elixir and will go a long way to getting the taste of regret out of your mouth. If anyone questions you in the office, remind them that IT’S JUST A SPRITZ and technically doesn’t count as alcohol.

And, god, why do your hamstrings hurt so much? Oh, that’s right. You got a little excited doing an impassioned rendition of Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ at that underground karaoke bar at 3am. Nice work, champ.

December 21st
In the cold hard light of Thursday, the Christmas party hangover fog is finally retreating. Your memory is beginning to come back and judging by the looks you’re getting around the office, most of theirs have come back too. Oh dear.

Your best move is to grab your credit card and head straight to Blackhearts & Sparrows as it’s time to repent. And what better way to say “Sorry, I got drunk and nude at the staff party” is to buy a bottle of Champagne to share with the team.

December 22nd
Yay! It’s Kris Kringle day at work and Barry from Accounts drew you. Despite you having no idea who he actually is, he saw on Instagram that you liked wine so bought a bottle of Sparkling Shiraz in an attempt to bond and find common ground.

But as a self-respecting ‘foodie’, you know sparkling red is gross and while you’d normally re-gift it to that family member who voted ‘no’, on closer inspection Bazza (as you now call him) actually nailed it and got you a bottle of Chalmers Lambrusco. Nice one.

December 23rd
The year is pretty much over so you and a few other like-minded souls decide on a cheeky mid-afternoon Negroni. The inspired alchemy of Campari, gin and vermouth makes for the perfect tipple to get you through the final couple of days. It’s also a timely reminder that you need to restock the bar at home, so you pick up a bottle each of Four Pillars Gin, Okar (an Australian-made amaro, aka Campari equivalent), and Maidenii vermouth on your way.

December 24th
Crap. It’s the day before Christmas and you haven’t done any shopping. Again. For the fifth year in a row.

You’re going to need a generous measure of Starward whisky and you’re going to need it immediately, as it’s the only way to deal with the hell that is Chadstone Shopping Centre. Why on earth do you do this every year? I mean seriously, here you are again in the middle of suburbia buying scented candles and satin boxer shorts as it’s all you can think of to buy right now.

Hold tight buddy, it’s always darkest before the dawn.

December 25th
And so the big day arrives. Not with sleigh bells and carols, but with the very loud beeping of your alarm. There is only one way to get through today. Drink Champagne and not in moderation.

It’s going to be a long day and despite your initial grumpiness, you literally cannot drink Champagne and stay that way. It’s impossible. It’s bubbly, vibrant, refreshing and will add a citrus kick to those prawns and oysters you stood an hour in line for at the market yesterday.

Suddenly, everything feels better. You know, maybe this Christmas thing isn’t so bad after all. You’re surrounded by not only your family, but your friends, too.

So make that bottle a magnum. Because magnums show commitment.

A (tongue in cheek) Twelve Days Of Christmas Drinking Guide was originally published in REVEL.global on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

A few weeks ago, Wine Communicators of Australia held a follow-up to their successful Under the Influence: Who really holds sway in wine buying decisions? seminar.

The session was moderated by the veritable Angie Bradbury (Dig & Fish) and panelled by wine legend Clare Burder, Max Allen (representing what he called the “heritage media”), Johnno Harris from Mitchell Harris Wines and Paul Ghaie of Blackhearts & Sparrows.

From Max’s always erudite column to Clare’s excellent wine (and drinks) courses and Blackhearts & Sparrows wonderful stores, all regularly come into contact with a broad range of wine drinkers.

The discussion was fascinating. The conversation flowed from what people are drinking right now to how they heard about it. The panels’ experience was essential in learning more about how people consume both wine and wine media.

Ultimately, it comes down to the wine drinker.

Funnily enough, I have a few ideas surrounding this. We (REVEL) interact and engage with a heck of a lot of wine drinkers at our events, so when I was allowed to speak (thanks Angie!) I asked the room to name their top three Instagram wine influencers in Australia. The room was effectively silent, highlighting the exact point I was trying to make: There is no ‘one’ influence in wine, but multiple. And this is a bloody good thing.

If you like art, you don’t follow just one artist. If you like music, you don’t just follow just one band.

You follow all related people and personalities that surround the category. Whether it be commentators, radio stations, DJs, record stores, festivals, platforms, digital publications, Apps, and, perhaps most importantly, you follow what your friends are listening to, and share it.

Wine is no different.

So while some may see a frustrating market fragmentation, I see multiple opportunities. There is an incredible opportunity out there for wine brands to explore and find their own niche and engage with their community on a variety of levels and platforms. Bloody cool, huh!

Never before have people been more engaged when it comes to what they imbibe, and they want to learn and experience it the same way they consume it: socially.

Wine is social. You open a bottle of wine to share with friends, so why should it be any different when it comes to the way people communicate and learn about it?

It is why I truly believe people* are the new wine media.

So if you’re a wine brand, drop what you’re doing and focus your attention on the people who actually drink your wine. And fast.

People don’t just follow one writer, maker, sommelier, retailer or event, they follow multiple. They follow their friends, their community, wine bars, restaurants, events, colleagues, waiters or anyone else they choose.

Why? Because it’s a part of their daily lives. Could you really ask for more?

It is not to say critical assessment, education or in-depth articles of wine are irrelevant, they’re not. Yet they should be seen as one of many multiple niches speaking to its own (primarily wine) audience. An audience that only represents 5–8% of the wine-drinking public. So try not to get too frustrated when your post about “the complex matrix of thiols” or “microbial yeast selections in the winery” doesn’t get much organic reach.

The good news is you already have an audience.

It’s now just a matter of how you communicate and engage with it.

*I deliberately say ‘people’ here and not ‘consumers’. Cows consume. People drink and talk and ask questions and have fun. They are the majority in wine, damn it, so please stop talking about them like they’re some sort of weird frustrating anomaly. Talk to them. They respond.

UNDER THE ‘NEW’ WINE MEDIA’S INFLUENCE. was originally published in REVEL.global on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

“Want to know what it’s really like to be an entrepreneur? Well, let me tell you. It’s hard. It’s fucking lonely,” says Gary Vaynerchuk, kicking off his keynote at the Business Squared event at the MCEC.

For those in the know, Gary is a formidable online force whose fast-talking, forward-thinking ideas and perspective have made him into one of the planet’s most sought-after public speakers.

For the wine folk among us, you will no doubt remember him from his Wine Library TV episodes (of which there are over a thousand) and will recall how capably he commands your attention.

So, as he took stage at Business Squared, the full house was literally on its feet and cheering. It was clear it was he, out of all the speakers, who they were there to see. So was I.

On a day which seemed full of self-congratulatory, ‘I can make you a million if you buy my $4000 program’ speakers, Gary’s humble approach was a welcome reprieve.

“Empathy is a strength, not a weakness,” he begins, telling us that mindfulness and self-awareness are the anchors in any successful business. Hard work, rather than a ‘Look at me and my fucking bling on social’ attitude, is how you make it. “Get on team optimism, not pessimism.” Amen, brother.

His insights, incredibly well-articulated, came at us thick and fast and we couldn’t help but feel a sense of urgency and excitement to just get out there and do it.

“If you do not learn all you can about Facebook, Instagram and audio right this second, you will miss it all,” he implored. “The speed and pace of now is phenomenal. Do not get left behind. Put the work in or you’ll be replaced and you’ll regret it. And regret is death.”

The urgency in which he says this is contagious. “The technology we’re seeing right now is everything. It’s oxygen. It’s coming and sure, I get it, learning about it is like learning how to swim in a tsunami.”

As we spend 50% of our time on a mobile device staring at social media, it is all about the ‘currency of attention’. We need to be where the eyeballs are. And Facebook and Instagram is (still) where it’s at.

“Information is worthless. Experience is the game as we have everything at our finger tips and in our pockets. Experience becomes vitally important in capturing and maintaining attention. Compelling storytelling is key here. ‘Content, content, content,’ may be the catch cry, but to be effective it must be compelling.”

What’s next, says Gary, is a very emphatic call to audio. Why? Because “it trades on selling us back time”. Time that we are so limited with. “If you haven’t got a podcast yet, do it.”

Sales of Amazon’s Echo and Google Home are going nuts (Alexia is already in 11 million homes in the USA), so we’ll be having those in our homes increasingly more in the next three to four years. Do yourself a favour and learn an Alexia skill right NOW, he says.

But whether it be Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, Snapchat, Spotify, blogging, vlogging, podcasting, or whatever, do it all. But make it compelling.

Because if you don’t, “You’re going to miss the greatest attention land-grab we’ve ever seen”.

Why does he give away these insights? “Because 99% of you won’t do anything with them”.

Will you?

THE GARY VAYNERCHUK EXPERIENCE at Business Squared 2017 was originally published in REVEL.global on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.