I have read two articles in the past month that described Millennial wine drinkers as less sophisticated than older wine drinkers.
Here is a link to one of the articles.
I cannot say that I agree with this viewpoint.
But then again, it depends on your definition of sophistication.
Boomers have historically wanted to impress friends and family with an expensive bottle from high profile wine regions like Bordeaux or Napa.
Millennial wine drinkers gain prestige by bringing a bottle with a interesting story, which might be an import from Croatia.
I would argue that Millennials thirst for wine knowledge and their desire to experience as many grape varietals and wine regions as possible, is a mark of sophistication.
Their frequency of wine purchases tells us that they have made wine a part of their everyday life. Whereas past generations of Americans may have relegated wine drinking to only special occasions.
And yes, they are savvy too, these new young wine explorers. They access and share information, wine reviews, food pairing ideas and pricing online.
They have also been the generation that has accelerated the growth of the organic wine and biodynamic wine sector. They care about what they put into their bodies and how it was made as well.
I always get an enthusiastic response from Millennial wine drinkers about natural wines. With the older generation, there is some begrudging yet growing interest mixed with distrust for a product made without chemicals.
These are some interesting results from a recent Wine Market Council survey.
Frequency of wine bottle purchases over $20:
43% Millennials
32% Gen X
22% Boomers
Importance of online information when purchasing wine:
36% Millennial
29% Gen X
22% Boomer
Percentage of imported wine purchases:
41% Millennials
31% Gen X
24% Boomers
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
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6 comments:
Couldn't agree more, Amy. They call it "lack of sophistication" when what it really is, is "lack of pretention". Millennials are thirsty for knowledge (pun intended) and look for brands/writers/etc. that can demystify wine for them. The passion is most definitely there and getting stoked.
Hear here! I see hundreds of both kinds diners every week, of all generations, and, more often than not, I find myself actually *discussing* wine with the younger crowds...
Absolutely. The millenials (which includes all of us at Hipster Enology) are the generation of the information age. We're accustomed to having vast amounts of knowledge readily available at our fingertips. Why would we then limit ourselves in wine?
Very well put. Too many snobs have given "sophisticated" a bad name. Go grimmace through the terribly fashionable bottle you just wasted your money on - I'll be over here enjoying life.
Also, when wine marketers stop trying to just target millenials [cough, cough, Twin Fin] and actually hire/listen to us, there are going to be some major changes in the industry.
Bless the Millenials. Without them, we likely wouldn't still be standing since we import wines and grapes that most folks have never even heard of.
god speed to the coming tide of less pretension and more cool wine stories!
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