Don’t look down! Your nose, that is.

I have been in the wine business for more than 20 years and the sake business for almost 10. One of the things I like about this business is that there is an endless array of products to try, resources such as web sites and wine critics to lend a hand with the decision, and people at the point of purchase who make it their business to know more in order to help the consumer explore and have fun without making endless purchases of things they don’t like.

That was the inclusive kind of business I thought still existed, but more and more, I am finding that sommeliers and retailers who know a LOT about wine and spirits are becoming more exclusive (read elitist). To make things worse, I find that some folks are far more worried about what they like than what their customers may like.

This may sound strange to some people, but even if a wine buyer doesn’t like a particular wine or sake, that doesn’t mean it isn’t good, and it doesn’t mean that their customers (who are most important, after all) won’t like it. I have learned that it is certainly possible for me to taste a wine, not find it to my personal preference, but still acknowledge it as a good wine for someone else who may have a different set of preferences. Do I love ALL my Argentine wine and Japanese sake selections? Nope. Do I think they are all very good examples of their type or style and that many people will like all of them? You bet.

The latest event that brought this reflection to the surface was my company’s decision to add sake2me sparkling sake to our list of great products. (Point of disclosure: I am an investor in sake2me, but did not represent the brand in commerce until recently). A few years ago, it occurred to me, my partner, and a close friend of ours that while Vine Connections was having great success introducing Americans to the delicious artisan sake of Japan, we were still only touching the smallest sliver of people who might want to try sake. After all, our sake are brewed in small quantities, they are fairly expensive, and they really benefit from a bit of knowledge before enjoying (or at least to avoid expensive buying mistakes). So we decided that we should create a sake that EVERYONE could enjoy. Take good quality Japanese junmai sake,  infuse it with interesting and exotic Asian flavors (from real extracts and not too sweet), make it refreshing by adding a light sparkle, put it in a single-serve bottle so people could spend less when trying it the first time, and make it fun (with the sake2me name) so that it could be invited to any occasion. And sake2me was born.

It has been 2 years now since sake2me was introduced, and I am still astounded at the number of snooty looks or comments I get from people I know when I introduce them to sake2me. And why? Because it is an INCLUSIVE product and not something that builds their own self worth due to their mastery of some obscure knowledge. I tell them: hold the bottle, check out the classy label, taste it, and picture how many times your customers would LOVE to have this kind of drink in their hands. And think about how many more people it might appeal to than traditional sake!

And does this middle-aged wine geek like it? I do (though I like some flavors more than others!). Will the customers who rely on the buyers to pick tasty drinks for them? Give them a chance and I think you’ll find that they will thank you for looking out for their tastes.

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Tags: carbonated sake, Ed Lehrman, flavor infused, Japanese sake, Japanese sake import, sake2me, sparkling sake, Vine Connections