Mind the Gap: on-trade wine training hitting buffers with non-wine drinking millennials

By Andrew Catchpole

Published: 17 October, 2016

A lack of familiarity with and interest in wine among young staff is presenting a challenge to the on-trade, said panellists at the recent Drinks Roadshow in Bristol

A lack of familiarity with and interest in wine among young staff is presenting a challenge to the on-trade, said panellists at the recent Drinks Roadshow in Bristol.

Addressing the challenge of training and retaining wine-savvy staff in restaurants and bars, the panel at this joint Drinks Wholesaler and Harpers forum identified a major issue - namely that young staff simply don't drink wine as part of their normal drinking repertoire.

"Staff training, whether you are a big or small place, can be very difficult, because restaurants and bars are hiring people aged 20 and 21, and most of those staff don't drink wine, so that makes it very difficult to train them," said Pablo Chaundy of The Library Wine Bar.

Kate Hawkings, who consults on the wine list and wine training to clients including Bell's Diner and Bellita, agreed, adding: "Most young people don't drink wine the way that we did, they drink beer instead, so they are coming to wine without any impetus to learn more about it."

The panel of experienced restaurateurs identified a clear need for wine suppliers and retailers to understand millennials in the way that other drinks categories, most notably craft beer and artisanal spirits such as boutique gins, have done.

"We have had a gin resurgence and a craft ale resurgence, but wine has yet to capture the imagination of the people that we need to make our wine lists work," added Louise Hawkins, owner of The Library Wine Bar.

"We invest a lot of money, teach them about wine, but then they disappear somewhere else," she added.

Feedback from suppliers and restaurateurs having some success at reaching and engaging millennials suggested that the trade needs to change the way it talks about wine.

Ben Franks, a 22 year old millennial-turned wine importer who recently set up Novel Wines suggested that his generation are sold more on interesting stories surrounding the wine, with greater individuality in the wines arousing interest.

"While the trade can be very welcoming, it can also be very dismissive of young people that know nothing about wine, but my business is about unique, wonderful wines, from interesting regions, all of which have a different story to tell and that is what 20 year olds want to know," said Franks.

Sherry was cited as a prime example of this, whereby, for a new generation without the baggage of the past, the wines are creating excitement, being different and "something completely new, exciting tattooed bartenders in their early twenties", accounting for its recent rise at the premium end.

The message, as all agreed, is that while quality must be a given for a younger generation of would-be wine drinkers, it's not all about what is in the bottle, but about creating interest around the wine to draw people in.

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