Wine in the 21st century
Alyssa Rapp, CEO and founder of Bottlenotes,is in touch with those younger wine drinkers, and she knows they are using their smart phones, not magazines, to gather info.
It takes patience and an old-world mentality to own a vineyard. Winemakers have to be prepared to wait years between planting those grapes and bottling the luscious juice, and sometimes the longer you wait, the better.
But when it comes time to sell that liquid gold, there's really no time to wait. Winemakers can no longer just pray to get an honorable mention in Wine Spectator magazine to get that wine into customers’ hands (though it doesn’t hurt). Young wine drinkers are using the fast, frenetic web to find their drink of choice.
Sure, some vineyards have embraced social media and the Internet. Last week we talked about how Napa winery St. Supery was using the web to better connect with its customers. Yet, some vineyards are far from there and need the web just to garner new customers.
That’s where Alyssa Rapp comes in. She's the founder and CEO of Bottlenotes, the online go-to place for enthusiasts interested in all things wine. Rapp, a Stanford MBA graduate, has taken her web knowledge a step further and is helping the old world met the new.
She's helping her clients use Facebook, Twitter, and online cross promotions with the aim to reach younger wine drinkers she knows use their smart phones, not magazines, to gather information.
That’s why she added a Daily Sip Deals app on her site. Users can get daily wine tasting offerings, courtesy of Bottlenotes, at wine regions through California.
She also suggested wine lovers download Blush, an app that helps you pick a wine based on your tastes and the actual store you’re in.
If you’re a restaurant or wine bar, you have to check out Uncorkd. It allows restaurant owners to put beverage menus on an iPad that can be handed to the customer, allowing them to make a selection based on their taste, meal and price point.
I love the slow, patient feel of a vineyard. But social media, and Rapp, can help put the right wine in the your hands faster.
Cent’ Anni
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