So, today I had the pleasure of interviewing Joel Vincent, (blogger and founder of OpenWineConsortium) on today’s Wine Biz Radio (which I’m awaiting the radio station to release the recording so I can podcast it for all you lovely listeners out there). Joel was articulate and driven, which made it clear to me why he’s leading the charge for the OWC and getting the word out.
Now Kaz (who is the long-time co-host of the show, unlike me) is being dragged kicking and screaming (or more likely, scratching his head and saying “huh?”) into Wine 2.0. But I think he’s finally getting the idea, after parading Wine 2.0 luminaries through the studio and over the phone, show after show. I could start to see the lights going on inside his head about what this means to him, a small (~1,500 cases/year) producer, and how he can really leverage the ability to get his name beyond the word-of-mouth that has gotten him quite far, but perhaps not where he could go.
I think that’s the promise of Wine 2.0 and the OWC: in an age where major corporations buy up larger and mid-sized wineries, giving those wineries access to leverage they only dreamed about when they were independent, Wine 2.0 offers (and indeed, opens) the world of wine buyers and consumers to pretty much any winery of any size. It helps to level the playing field in a fundamentally new way that was just not possible a few years ago. So to Joel and the emerging Board of Directors for the OWC: kudos to you all, you’re inspiring not only me (a jaded tech weenie who loves wine and is entering the wine industry) but also those troubled Luddite souls whom will really benefit from your hard work and vision.
I gotta say, I’m glad I was sitting in the studio looking at him when the lights went on. It’s a beautiful thing to behold.
Share This
