Digital wine expert Paul Mabray's six big takeaways from new Silicon Valley Bank report
Paul Mabray, leading US wine commentator and social media expert, has given the following key takeaways from the latest Silcon Valley Bank report in to the state of the US wine industry.
He believes the key points to address and be aware of in the year ahead are:
New Takeaways
- The industry is finally talking about Direct To Consumer. ALL. THE. TIME.
- The shift from product to experience for luxury wineries is fully embedded into the narrative.
- The critical next shift needs to be from tasting room experience alone, to user experience at the point of connection (retail, restaurant, home).
- The ever-increasing bottleneck of getting wine to market is reaching a breaking point. Disrupting the three-tier system is an inevitable but the path isn’t yet predictable.
- The industry’s fatigue and frustration at not having the right tools has become untenable. There is a revolt brewing and the industry leaders are tired of fighting over who has the better shovel. They are ready to organise and force change.
- Presidential politics with immigration are playing a significant role. There aren’t enough seasonal skilled laborers to handle the work required and the problem is on a path of no return.