So how do you turn this shift in the signalling of wine status to your advantage? Ana Andjelic suggests modern brands (and I'd add wine brands) can thrive in the aspiration economy by aligning with Andjelic's “Four C’s”:

• Content: This means sharing stories, tutorials, and insights that educate consumers about your wine, its culture, and its history. Too many wine brands simply post high scores they’ve received. Or nice pictures. In an aspiration economy, that’s not enough. You need to create a narrative. A narrative people can share in turn.

• Community: Build passionate wine communities through events, social media, and exclusive memberships. Your mailing list is your friend. And the community can be “parasocial”. It doesn’t need to be real life. Share content that shows the “community” coming together. Even if that’s just the people who visit the winery.

• Curation: Highlight carefully selected wines that reflect your brand values. Or showcase unique narratives. Remember for your biggest fans, the best thing is not the best wine. It’s the wine that nobody else can get. Curate limited editions, and share with the most passionate.

• Collaboration: Partner with chefs, artists, or even other winemakers to create multi-dimensional experiences. This is a bigger topic. So I'll share a video on collaboration in a new post coming on Monday.

Joe Fattorini • From Collecting to Selecting. The New Rules of Wine Status