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phia. These were people with more expenda- What should the wine producers change?
ble income and they bought wine. In regards „There will be a renewed culture of ordering
to winemaking, the weather of 2020 is being wine online with even older customers being
celebrated by many of the winemakers here. comfortable with this process. The TTB has allo-
Many believe this may be the best vintage for wed for wineries to use different size bottles like
the Finger Lakes ever. 187mL which has been popular. Restaurants
Looking forward in 2021, wineries have em- are allowed to serve wine and cocktails to go
braced technology and can now offer a better which hopefully will stay.“
online experience. Many will retain the re- What new to do and what better to stop?
servation systems, making it their new norm. „At Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery in the Finger
With reservations, they can elevate their game, Lakes (NY) we created a new progressive wine
better manage expectations. When customers tasting experience that takes groups throughout
reserve, the winery staff will know how many the property to explore different themes like the
people to expect,and gather more informati- vinifera revolution, traditional method sparkling
on like, returning or new customers, are they winemaking, and winemaking and taste along
bringing their dog and therefore customize with these themes. It was a one-way flow of tra-
the situation and not have staff overwhelmed. ffic that ended with contactless order and pic-
These better connections with customers also kup. Our check values doubled though we saw
allow for „geekier“ product opportunities like about 1/3 of our normal traffic.“
wines produced with specific clonal selections Will there be in the future more interest
of Cabernet Franc. These wines demand more in cheap or expensive wines, in standard or
of an explanation and educational opportuni- organic production?
ty which the new tasting experience can em- „The “household name” wine brands are ha-
brace. ving a moment right now because consumers
Not to belittle the negative and tragic effects want to buy brands that they can trust. Our
that our country, state and people have felt less expensive Salmon Run line of wines has
from this horrible disease, it is comforting to boomed during the pandemic and we are
hear some positive news and be happy in the thankful that owner Fred Frank developed the
knowledge that our local wine industry made brand over 30 years ago.!
it successfully through 2020 and is moving Will the market put more emphasis on
forward in 2021 with new hope and improve- price or quality?
ments to be better than ever. „The price/quality ratio is more important than
To support my thoughts, I asked Meaghan ever. Consumers are looking for nice packaging,
anf Fred Frank for some direct answers: good quality wine for a reasonable price.“ ƅ
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