Who is today's customer who likes to indulge his taste buds with Nebbiolos & Co?
The first question I am always asked when making a purchase is, "How long can I keep this Barolo, Barbaresco, Nebbiolo etc...? "
Actually I can answer that very well because I myself have privately quite a large wine cellar (20m2) and in the years 2013 to the present have always taken at least 3 to 6 bottles private purchase to taste over the years of each imported wine class higher than 25 €. On every special private occasion such a bottle comes along.
However conversely, there are quite a few buyers who do not expect 20 years or more from a Barolo or equivalent to be at top level. Expectations have been adjusted for very different reasons. We have discussed those in previous newsletters.
The information that needs to reach them online is also completely different compared to 10 years ago. As an expert in Piedmontese wines, with a three-year training at Associazione Italiana Sommelier in Turin, I tend to tell a lot online, to go even too technical while keeping in mind that my clients are not enologists and 95% are not professionals in the wine business.
Let's face it: at least 85% of our customers are professionals (doctors, surgeons, accountants, bailiffs, etc.) and expats.
Those expats have neither the time nor the interest to know the background of a wine (soil, grape varieties, climate issues). The only thing they are interested in is: "What is the unique experience I will have when I taste bottle X or Y with my guests?". Or "how does barolo x differ from barolo y in taste experience?". And last thing the potential or existing customer wants to know is all the technical issues of the wine that fascinates him at first sight. All training notwithstanding, nowadays it is the "practice" of a wine supplier that fascinates the customers. Add to that the fact that I spend at least one week a month in Piedmont for fairs & other activities and the practical experience is invaluable.
By regularly re-tasting - with Coravin by the way - the wines in our range (especially for the wines higher than 25 euros per bottle) I have a very precise idea of how a wine evolves. This sets me apart from colleagues. I often take one of those bottles I purchased 10 years ago to the winemaker and we taste together. That, of course, is a very unique experience, both for me and for the winemaker in question. So today there are 6 wines ready for transport and tasting together with the winemaker and his family on the occasion of Grandi Langhe, the biggest Piedmontese wine fair, in the days before and after.
Everything in the world is in evolution...The way a customer acquires information, the requirements of a customer in the online world etc....
Top of the bill: of all fellow competitors offering Piedmont wines, we are still the lowest in price in terms of minimum order in order.
Photo accompanying this article: Rizieri - Barolo Docg - Silio Riserva 2018
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