The Grapevine

Make Your Customers Better Wine Drinkers

September 9th, 2015

We’ve spent some time recently talking about how educating your customers can benefit your business: passionate and knowledgeable fans are more devoted to your product. Here’s another take on helping your customers “get better at wine.” [level-members]

The best part is that it doesn’t have to be prissy, elitist, or snobbish. (Though that’s always a fine line to draw …) Basically, it’s just paying attention to what you’re drinking. While that’s not for everyone, those who do enjoy a little critical thinking will learn more about what they like and what they don’t.

And that’s the critical element: you don’t need to encourage your customers to become Master Sommeliers. They just need to know what they like and, maybe, a little bit about why they might like it. If they are comfortable talking about what they smell, what they taste, how the wine feels in their mouth, and how the wine feels with foods, they’ll be a long way toward enjoying wine beyond simply opening a bottle because they’re not in the mood for beer or booze.

One important idea that’s frequently overlooked: knowing your audience. Don’t make everything you do remind people of schoolwork. Make sure it’s clear that it’s OK to sit back on the porch and enjoy an uncomplicated wine on an uncomplicated summer evening.

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