“What Young Wine Drinkers Want” is the title of a recent Financial Times article by Hannah Crosbie, one of several recent reports probing the priorities and buying habits of younger consumers. Taken together, they give anyone concerned about the future of the wine industry a lot to think about. Compared to the baby boomers who drove the wine industry for many years, younger consumers differ greatly in terms of their economic situation, communications preferences, relationship to alcohol, and much else.

The Changing Nature of “Story Wines”

One common theme is that younger consumers want more than something to eat or drink. They want products that tell a story that they can pass on to their friends and make part of their own story, too, in one way or another. Wine is good, but wine and a story about the wine are much better.

To be fair, the story element of wine purchases is not new, it is mainly that the importance has increased and the type of story has changed. First-person stories of visiting wineries and meeting winemakers are powerful, for example. I have some boomer friends who like to tell some version of a numbers story. Sometimes it is about how much the wine cost and sometimes it is about how little they paid (hello, Two Buck Chuck). Often it is about critics’ ratings. These stories intersect with various identities ranging from aspirational to reverse snobbery.

I am sure that these stories resonate with many younger consumers, but recent articles suggest that today’s consumers are looking for narratives that better connect to their identities. So story-telling, which has always been important in wine, is even more critical today.

Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Badges

One of the most-read articles in Wine Economist history is a 2018 column about 19 Crimes wine, “Outlaw Wine? 19 Crimes Succeeds by Breaking All the Wine Marketing Rules.”   The article argues that there is no particular reason 19 Crime, which started as a brand featuring rather unfashionable Australian Shiraz, would have become a hit, especially with younger consumers. The key, I wrote, is the “outlaw” backstory, which resonated with many young male consumers.

19 Crimes is still a storied wine, but the story has shifted a bit since that column first appeared. Now it is also a celebrity story wine, with labels that feature Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart. “Every bottle tells a story,” the wine’s website proclaims along with the outlaw motto, “It’s good to be bad.” And every bottle does tell a story via augmented reality technology. Just download the app and scan the label. Talk about a story wine.

One Thousand Stories

Sue and I recently took part in an online tasting of wines from a winery that has so completely embraced story-telling that it is even in its name: 1000 Stories wine. 1000 Stories is a line of California appellation wines produced by Fetzer/Bonterra, which is part of the multinational Concha y Toro wine group.

The name draws directly from the interest in story-telling. We all have stories, according to the website, and we want to add stories and share stories. Every bottle tells a story, too. The mood is upbeat compared with the darker 19 Crimes vibe, but wine as part of your identity theme is still there.

This umbrella story is supplemented by several (but not necessarily a thousand) supporting stories. 1000 Stories claims the title of the first bourbon barrel-finished wine (there are now several of these on the shelves). Used bourbon barrels are toasted and used to finish the wines. Since these barrels come from different distilleries and have different characteristics, each batch of wine is a bit different (that is, it tells a different story of its origins). In a world of homogeneous commodities, this will be a story that will resonate with many.

The use of bourbon barrels is not traditional, but I don’t see a problem. I remember visiting Justino’s winery on Madeira, where used barrels are so important to the process. They were using a few used whiskey barrels in an exchange with a distillery that was using used Madeira barrels to add some complexity to its whiskey. I thought that was pretty interesting, so I can’t criticize bourbon barrels for Zinfandel if the results are worthwhile.

The Bison Story

Concha y Toro and all its subsidiaries are certified B Corporation businesses, so there is a subtle social and environmental responsibility story told by the “B Corp” logo on the back label.

The back label doesn’t mention the story behind the bison on the front label, which is kind of puzzling. What does a bison have to do with the 1000 Stories? The answer is a good story. 1000 Stories is working with a group called Yellowstone Forever to support bison conservation in Yellowstone National Park. Why not advertise these efforts more clearly on the wine bottle? I speculate that perhaps it is left to the informed wine drinker to share the story with friends. Word-of-mouth is the most effective way to get a story passed around.

Sue and I have been tasting through the 1000 Stories lineup. The Zinfandel is balanced and rounded by its 5 grams per liter of residual sugar, but not avoids being the sugar bomb that many wines that target younger drinkers have become. It was great with BBQ brisket. The Red Blend is an interesting mix of grape varieties including Teroldego, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, and Pinot Noir. It played nicely with a ham dinner.

I admit that I sort of wish that 1000 Stories really just focused on one story — it would make the wine’s story easier to tell. But I admit that people aren’t one-dimensional, so why should wines and their stories be monolithic.

I am not sure which of the many stories of 1000 Stories resonates with me, but then I doubt that I am the target audience. Pragmatically, what’s important for the wine industry is that wine brands pitch stories that connect with consumers, especially newbies who are looking for reasons to connect.