Winecest – The Wine Industry’s Incestuous Tendencies

*This post contains graphic content.

There’s a disclaimer you don’t see every day in the wine world…sorry, Mom…

Winecest

[Wahyn-sest]

noun

• all the wine people—makers, distributors, critics—schmoozing it up and keeping it wayyy too in the family.

Winecest runs rampant in the wine industry, insiders lavishing in the good life while consumers are all too often left by the wayside.

‘Tis true, the industry is quite incestuous, primarily a B2B commerce system that forces producers to depend heavily upon importers, distributors and critics to move their wines.

Granted, alcohol laws around the world have contributed significantly to such incestuous tendencies. For example, the United States’ famous three-tier system that says producers can only sell to wholesale distributors, wholesalers can only sell to retailers, and only retailers can sell to consumers…BUT, the internet and direct-to-consumer sales are changing all of that. And then there are alcohol monopolies to consider…

So yeah, trade marketing/schmoozing is going to be a part of the equation, but winecest refers to the very culture of the wine world. The exclusivity, the same faces at the top, private events. The same yearly, very expensive and time-consuming visits between buyers and makers. The same palates getting to taste what we enthusiasts will have to pay big bucks for – if we can even find it. And the general fear that makers, distributors and critics have of other makers, distributors and critics…the idea that one’s success is another’s demise, therefore creating a vicious cycle of winecest.

I see all of this quite often in Chile. Vincesto. For being such a major producer, wine consumption is low in Chile. Industry players will complain and then gather to spark interest. For now, the solution is to jam-pack us into event halls, equipped with a glass to take from stand to stand to taste a few drops. But look at all the events they throw among themselves, look at all the money they spend on their winecestuous ways.

Trickle Down

The wine industry’s vision of marketing is akin to trickle-down economics, where the privileged prosper, tasting the very best and living the wineries’ top experiences so that in turn, the common people can get a few drops and “benefit” from what the privileged will later share. But I don’t like trickle-down economics. It’s a shit system where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer…

I’ve been there, I gettt it. I’ve worked in wine for years and am currently trying to make it independently in the industry. But as a consumer, I must say, spread the love!

We need to shift focus and spend more resources (time and money) on connecting directly with wine lovers, the purchasers.

The times they are a changin’. Industry players will always have a place. But industry players can only reach those that are interested in or connected to the industry. A random enthusiast, however, can reach a much wider circle, even people who don’t drink wine…yet.  😉

No More Winecest

Incest can cause major birth defects, has a higher chance of passing on recessive diseases and is allllmost universally accepted as immoral. Family is for support and unconditional love; it is not for breeding and protecting your lineage.

Makers, distributors and critics need one another for expanding and sharing knowledge, for support and development, for creating healthy competition, and even a bit for sparking interest among consumers. They do not need each other, however, to create community and build brand loyalty. For that, they need wine lovers, and the more the better.

So leave the winecest behind. Less schmoozing among one another. More schmoozing with all those potential wine-loving fans.

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And just in case you’re more of a visual learner, the purple handed Winecest definition in all of its glory.