We all know that alcohol and wine sales were up during COVID-19. In some states they were up by 40 percent. What also occurred during COVID-19 was the shutdown of the most important part of a winery’s business: in-person tastings. Analysts and wine makers alike predicted that the easing of social distancing restrictions would be a boon to the industry with consumers anxious to leave the house and once again enjoy face-to-face everything.

However, after reopening early last year, tasting room visits for 2021 were still down 7 percent from 2019 levels. Through October 2022, visits were off by 12 percent from pre-pandemic. It seems that consumers liked to shop online for alcohol, and in some cases actually preferred it.

Most smaller wineries are now being forced to re-evaluate their e-commerce strategies around direct-to-consumer sales, virtual tastings, website functionality, digital marketing, and creating more personalization for this new consumer — all areas which many have little to no experience in nor funding for.

What’s held the wine industry back from taking a big leap into e-commerce has been the existing three-tier system which makes compliant national fulfillment difficult to manage. Having all the proper permits and licenses to sell and ship wine while abiding by all of the regulatory requirements has been a huge hurdle in the evolution of the industry. With technology enhancements, including live and VOD shopping platforms, the next iteration is a marketplace of wineries that not only need a new system to survive, but a platform to bring all of the key elements together — culture, community, education and commerce.

The reality is a confluence of all these dynamics converging into an inflection point — the effects of COVID-19 on consumer purchasing habits, the ability to buy everything online, and consumers wanting to know the sustainability efforts of the brand and what the brand stands for.

One company at the forefront of building this new model is Vin Social. Vin Social began as a wine events and gifting company working with large clients like Salesforce and Sitecore providing virtual and in-person events as part of its client engagement and retention strategies. CEO Sara Moll said she realized there was an opportunity to create her version of “modern wine education” through social experiences for today’s curious wine drinkers.

“All the consumer-facing wine classes felt a little boring, overly academic, and frankly not so fun or inviting to the average consumer or casual enthusiast,” said Moll.

Using her vast knowledge as a trained sommelier, the company’s background in events grounded in storytelling, its deep understanding of data-driven digital marketing and e-commerce, Moll led Vin Social’s transformation, connecting hundreds of craft wineries to thousands of customers via a membership-based platform and providing them with brand awareness through educational content, events and activations, and, of course, sales to highly engaged customers. Members can connect directly with sommeliers who provide educational content and expert opinions, as well as answer customer questions, which in turn creates buzz, consumer activation through influencer-driven digital marketing, and results in new revenue streams via video on-demand and in-stream purchasing.

Vin Social also produces in-person events and “travel through the glass” excursions for members with its expanded relationship with luxury travel company Inspirato. These members-only experiences provide both newbies and connoisseurs alike direct access to wineries that literally never open their doors to outsiders.

For small craft wineries, it’s a dream come true — a one-stop shop to reach new consumers, create virtual and in-person events, and increase their sales so they can drive those dollars back into production. For Vin Social, it’s all part of the journey of wine and harnessing technology and consumer data to disrupt an industry that for too long has held many hostage.