Posts made by Adam Strum:

Wine is one of the few subjects where the story behind the product is as fascinating as the wine itself. Intriguing visionaries, brave business choices, a breakneck pace of dynamic action—the world of wine business is both inspiring and sometimes unbelievable.

Wine itself inspires passion: people love to talk about it, sometimes they travel specifically to learn or experience more, often they immerse themselves in it and often participate in some form as amateurs, whether tasting, making it, or discussing it with friends. But the stories of what goes on beyond the glass can be as integral a part of the enjoyment of wine as what we drink.

Wine Enthusiast Magazine attempts to bridge the gap between pure enthusiasm for wine as a delicious drink and accompaniment to food and the added interest in the wine industry’s news and developments. Sometimes in planning our editorial calendar, the editors and I ask ourselves: are we covering the subject matter well enough by providing our readers with enough direction and information to make informed decisions about what to drink, where to visit and who to see? To what degree are our readers interested in hearing about changes in the wine business world such as acquisitions and mergers or new laws relating to appellations and people in wine?  Is the business of wine as important to our readers as their passion for wine itself? Should we be covering more trade-related subject matter such as Vanity Fair or Sports Illustrated does with their subject matter?

Magazines that are designed to satisfy readers’ wine passion will devote portions of their editorial not only to the nuances and joys of the subject matter but to the behind-the-scenes business aspects of these industries.  It is obvious what fascinates people about these subjects and turns them into fans, but what is it that creates the desire to learn more about the business aspects of the industries?

With a printed magazine we have limited space so we have to pick and choose what we emphasize. I am curious as to what is more important to you when you receive the magazine: the passion for wine (wine recommendations and regional profiles, tastings, food pairing suggestions etc.) or the business of wine?  Should our magazine be hypothetically, 65% consumer- oriented and 35% trade- oriented?

What do you think would be the best balance for our coverage?

It was 18 years ago in  1991 : 60  Minutes correspondent Morley Safer  appeared on my television screen  with a bottle of wine on a table in front of him and a glass of wine in his hand . He elaborated in glowing terms about how the health and absence of heart disease in France is directly related to what was “found all in this wonderful glass of red wine , ” which he held out to the camera .  Chills went up and down my spine and I remember as if it were yesterday — wine’s “eureka”  moment had finally come and this “tipping point” was accelerated by this powerful ,  highly watched TV show and its cultured host.

Safer referred to this phenomenon as the French Paradox ,  which indicated that societies that have wine as part of their normal meal lead healthier lives and (probably happier ones as well) because of properties in wine that fight heart disease. This was regardless of the extremely rich diet filled with  cheese and other  highly caloric foodstuffs that the French generally consumed on a daily basis.  Hence the paradoxical aspect of the health of the general population in France.

I mentioned this story to a friend of mine who is a senior executive in the wine business and he recalled exactly where he was when the story ran as vividly as most baby boomers remember where they were when President Kennedy was assassinated.

My friend elaborated on how red wine had to be allocated after this broadcast and that the sales of red wine exploded in the ensuing weeks by more than 40% ,  a testament  to the power of network TV in those days and in particular 60  Minutes.

Do you remember where you were when the French  Paradox  segment  first aired?  Do you think there is anything that could happen on the internet that could  generate a sales explosion  comparable to the one  in the early 90’s  in the wake of the French Paradox story?

I read with great interest, the recent announcement that The New York Times will be starting a wine club on the heels of the Wall Street Journal and San Francisco Chronicle wine clubs, which have already been launched. This did not come as a surprise to me; the motivation was obvious: the piece went on to say that the paper was “seeking new revenue” and that their 2nd quarter results showed a decline in sales of 21.2%.  All three newspapers cover, rate and review wine and all three newspapers are now selling wine.

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During my school days when I brought home high test scores from elementary, middle and even high school I received a big kiss on my cheek and warm accolades from both mom and dad.  More often than not I’m proud to say my scores were in the 90s and once in a while I even nailed a 100-point perfect score and a delicious bowl of ice cream was my reward.

This similar experience had been embedded into the psyches of tens of millions of Baby Boomers like me and certainly subsequent generations of Americans had a similar encounter with this “100-point” rating system.

It’s quite apparent to me that if millions of consumers can relate to this type of numerical rating from childhood then it must be a valuable way to communicate. The way wine ratings on the 100 point scale impact the sale of wine is a testimony to the truth.  To me, communication and what works for the majority of people is what’s primarily important.

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