Natural Disruption

This year’s London Wine Trade Fair was intriguing in that the wine trade zeitgeist is currently defined by an event that happened prior to the official fair and by an event occurring at the heart of the fair but with the intention of “disrupting” the traditional model of the wine trade – whatever that may be.

Both events, the Natural Wine Fair and the “Disrupt” pan European wine blended on Thierry’s stand rightly attracted a good deal of attention but what is it that so intrigued commentators and consumers alike?

It is easy to like the ideals behind the Natural wine movement ( yes, I know there is no organised movement!) and the individuals concerned present a highly eclectic, bohemian front but, as it stands, this is not an inclusive development aimed fairly and squarely at the consumer. This is a movement, or collection, of producers whose ideals are to be admired but whose wines are unlikely to be mainstream any time soon. Proponents argue that the mass market wines that the majority of consumers buy are full of chemicals, yeasts and additives that are hidden from the consumer. I think that most of us would argue otherwise but we are wise enough to listen to those calling for lower sulphur levels, more moderate alcohols and less intervention – in this respect the Natural Wine movement could be said to act in a manner similar as Haute Couture does to high street fashion – influencing, improving and leading new styles.

At the fair itself, and arguably more contentious, the Disrupt crowd- sourced and blended pan European wine, reflects not only the current, innovative model adopted by Naked Wines, but also a more disingenuous agenda adopted by the likes of Wine Options.Org. It goes something like “ the wine trade has been ripping the consumer off for years, shrouding wine in mystery in order to maintain control and not giving the consumer what they want”. Is this the wine trade that you recognise?

Now, whilst the wine trade is far from perfect, it is generally run by people with ethics, who value the product that we sell and whilst profit generation has generally come second to product enjoyment this cannot be characterised as a trade hell bent on making money at any cost to the consumer.

The trade has lacked professionalism, especially when it comes to genuine product innovation and marketing expertise. Far from not wanting to hear what the consumer wants, the wine trade has been hampered by a lack of the skills needed to both listen to the consumer effectively and to react to the findings. In light of this, perhaps it is not surprising that certain elements of the trade and of the consuming market have become frustrated.

So how might we improve?

One of the outcomes of the interest in Natural Wine has been to make all of us more aware of how we might influence the production of the products we sell in a positive way. However, calling Natural wine natural suggests that all other wines are not natural and this does us all a great dis-service. If we are going to convince the consumer that the variety and diversity of wine that they face is both enjoyable and worth paying a premium for, we will not do by creating division and chasms.
Wine is essentially a natural product – no one thinks that the freshly prepared fruit salad sold in various supermarkets is unnatural and yet it most likely has very much higher levels of SO2 than any wine would be allowed – and we should strive to convince the customer that individuality and diversity are an integral part of a natural category.

However, few other industries who market natural products do so with one universal packaging option. Take bread for instance – the packaging or lack of it immediately gives the consumer the clues needed to make a decision. If consistency, convenience of use and blandness of flavour are required, the plastic wrapped, pre sliced industrial loaf is ideal. However, the loose, artisan stone baked loaf with its irregular crust and crumb automatically connects with the consumer at a different emotional level. Does wine do that?

By packaging all wine in 75cl glass bottles we level the playing field to such an extent that however creative the label (and however much lipstick we apply to a pig) the consumer struggles to see credible reasons to pay more for their wine or to understand the inconsistencies and diversity of the premium category.

Perhaps we have lessons to learn from other markets. Scandinavia is dominated by bag in box, some markets use tetra-pak or plastic but whatever the package, distinguishing the everyday from the genuinely special in amore tangible form than label or price is a very real way in which the wine trade could innovate and provide an effective ladder of consumer experience that does not exist at present.

Whatever happens, we have to be grateful for those currently challenging the status quo and encouraging us all to think in ways that will ensure that there is a still a wine trade to enjoy in 10 years time.