Majority of winemakers 'living in past'
The majority of world winemakers are failing to take advantage of the infinite possibilities the Internet and new media can offer.
That is the view of Ryan Opaz, the founder of Catavino Marketing, who was speaking at The 30th Anniversary Conference, ahead of the London International Wine Fair, which starts tomorrow.
Mr Opaz, who runs the Barcelona-based wine agency, told a packed audience of wine producers at the London ExCel that common new media tools - like online video streaming, blogs, Facebook and Twitter - were a vital way of capturing extra business.
And he warned that those who failed to embrace these tools would be left lagging behind.
He told Harpers Wine & Spirit: "Wine producers are still way behind the times, they are still using faxes and they don't exist in the real world - but email does.
"The big problem that wine producers have is that in reality most people don't know who they are.
"They are too vain and think they are too important.
"They talk about themselves as if everybody's life should revolve around their brand.
"What they should be doing is putting on the bottle 'this is my wine and if you have a question then send me an email'.
"It is sad that the wine industry is so behind the times.
"There are wineries that are making big changes, but they are in the minority.
"Wine producers should be talking to the consumer, not the critic, that's the thrust of the problem."
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