Wine Descriptions That Sell
Product descriptions are how eCommerce sites communicate the attributes, features and benefits of a product. Even with the use of video, a product description is still necessary and with wine it’s still difficult for the average person to understand what they’re buying.
Here is a description for Tenuta Biserno Insoglio Del Cinghiale:
“Medium crimson hue. Intensely brambly aromas of raspberry and pencil shavings. Lovely mouth-feel frames juicy flavors of strawberry and earth; perfect balance. Clean, tart finish.”
Like most people, I enjoy wine but I have a hard time understanding what this wine is going to taste like when I see words like “pencil shavings” and “earth”. Moreover, with this lack of understanding I’m finding it more difficult to swallow the $40 price tag. I spent some time at a variety of wine shops online and continued to see the same vague description trend: “exciting finish”, “friendly personality” and “Forest floor”. Personally, I would never want a wine with an unfriendly personality…although maybe that’s vinegar.
I decided to set out and talk to some people in tasting rooms. Perhaps an industry professional would be able to help reframe my misunderstanding. Most places did an average job helping me wrap my mind around the vague terms but one place in particular already took it to the next level. California Wine Merchant in San Francisco’s Marina district took a very different approach.
Here is a description for a Charles and Charles 2009 Rosé:
“Imagine a pool full of flat season wild strawberries and raspberries with some sage, rose petals and a bucket full of watermelon Jolly Ranchers thrown in. Then imagine diving in. That’s pretty much what it’s like as you stick your nose in a glass of the 2009 Charles and Charles Rose.”
This is a description I can jump on board with. I spoke with Nate Welch, a wine-tender with 15 years in the industry and he confirmed that the specific use of candy terms has helped them increase sales and decrease the amount of wine he drops down the drain due to poor descriptions. They use words like “Raspberry Skittles” “Branch’s Butterscotch Candy” and “Watermelon Jolly Rancher.” Welch went on to explain that the use of such words is much more objective so his customers have a firmer grasp of what exactly what they are purchasing.
What does this mean for an online wine retailer? First, the use of video can help you increase conversion by providing a much more efficient and engaging way to describe wine to your visitors. Second, incorporating a similar approach in your video descriptions accompanied by your existing descriptions will give your customers a firmer grasp of what they’re buying. Third, using such descriptions can help increase retention and lower returns.
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