USA – Influencers Shake up the world of wine

Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) are sometimes followed by 100,000 or more people all over the world. Profiles that are receptive to innovation, but which maintain an extremely down-to-earth link with wine. They have become a must for the wine planet, which produces more than it consumes, with a young generation that consumes less and less wine.

Social networks tick all the wine marketing boxes: a vector for the art of living, the ability to continuously occupy the field by targeting its audience segment by segment, the opportunity to publish more authentic content at a lower cost, and the potential for unlimited creativity.

Many winemakers would be damned if they were to get even few words from such coveted KOLs as Colorado-based Jeb Dunnuck, renowned for his independence or James Molesworth, writer for Wine Spectator.

In the United States, wine lovers already rely more on the recommendations of distinguished sommeliers, such as Yannick Benjamin, a New York figure in the University Club. His language is never too technical. In China, this type of female influence has its equivalent with Wang Shenghan, alias Lady Penguin. With the help of videos posted on the local social networks, she is working to educate the palates of her 1.5 million fans.

We have analyzed white wines listed in restaurants:

1. California
2. Loire
3. Burgundy
4. Veneto
5. Rhone

6. Piedmont
7. Trentino-Alto Adige
8. Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
9. Lower Austria
10. Alsace

11. Friuli
12. Sicily
13. Bordeaux
14. Oregon
15. Campania

Influencers are people who do not necessarily come from the wine world. Unlike professionals, they allow themselves to rely on their sensitivity rather than their knowledge. Bordeaux winemakers, for example, remain committed to rankings and ratings, including from wine critics. Chateaux will always prefer to be quoted by pros, whose opinions influence sales. The Parker era has left its mark.

Mainly for fear of losing their image, some brands have only recently learned how to use the visibility offered by these and other influencers. The big names in luxury wine now spontaneously integrate KOLs into their digital communication strategy. Influencers are indispensable in the search for consumer engagement: involvement rate, number of likes and comments for each post: the slightest profile targeted by the pros of com’ is analyzed.

No sooner had the time to take the fold than some were already betting on a takeover by the influencers of the classic public relations field. Wineries and Wine Boards are realizing that KOLs are credible simply because they speak a human language.

Key Points

• Wine lovers already rely more on the recommendations of distinguished sommeliers
• Influencers are indispensable in the search for consumer engagement.