April 02: With half the population in India being under 35 years old, one cannot ignore the generation of Millenials and Generation Z which can make strong impact on the wine consumption in India and both the producers and importers would do well if they target this segment differently, by analysing their habits and tastes, writes our guest writer Aruna Chawla, who is on the cusp and thus understands this market as a consumer and offers several useful tips to expand the market
I don’t need to scream at the top of my voice, stage a protest, or as we millennials would prefer doing - post it on my social media for my followers to back me on this. You already know that you need to pay attention to us, not just because we’re the future, but we’re also the most influential present the present has ever been.
That’s right. We can make you (my champ, remote working) or break you (umm Hi Mark). We have been creating and disrupting markets you didn’t even know exist (Uber). With us, it’s not just about making it big: it’s also about making it better, and for as many people as possible (RenewPower). We’re living in the today, and recording it for our future (Snapchat Memories). And we’re doing it on a daily basis.
Whether it’s a Wednesday Night Party, or a Netflix and me Saturday, we’re drinking. And we’re honestly drinking a lot (mom, you didn’t read this, did you?)
Sonal Holland MW agrees with me. She calls us the ‘groomed lot’ and her study shows that we’re buying as much wine as our elders. A caveat though - the statistics are the frequency of purchases and not the amount we spend on our purchases. Is it safe for me to say that maybe our contribution to the gross revenues is lower, but that’s also because we’re not making as much as our elders - yet. But since we’re definitely excited about wine, and looking for wine that is exciting, and we’re drinking as much as our elders, we’re what the wine industry should focus keenly on.
Are we reshaping the world, and the wine industry? YASSSS (millennial speak for perhaps)!
Use the Internet and Social Media
Use the Internet! It was your gift to us, and I think we’ve used it pretty well! We’re born in the age of information. Give us that! Update your website and make it fun. Be active on social media and speak to us directly. Engage with us offline. Use our 24*7 connectivity and failed privacy security (*exasperated emoji*) and target- market to us.
Engage us
Engage us and our influencers! We’re engaged with our global environments and are eager for stories about the things we love. We like recording our lives, and staying connected, but prefer being where our friends and idols are. Let’s not forget Rihanna brought down Snapchat by approximately $ 800 million using a single blast denouncing it - much more than what Snapchat lost after the app update. We’d rather pay heed to what our friends and influencers think, rather than what companies’ market analysts predict.
Make it interactive
Market wines and wineries suitable to us for our interaction-centric nature. Tell us how and what to gift to our friends, have it for dinner, lunch (or breakfast! No? Am I the only one?), conduct tasting sessions-maybe even organize pre-wedding shoots or bachelorette parties at your vineyards!
Build Personal Connections
Make personal connections with us! What good is a Robert Parker 99 point rating if I don’t even like a wine? Or if I can’t afford it! Cool, have your ratings, but we’d also look at the affordability and our personal preference if we’re going to shell out money. So I’d rather trust Marissa A. Ross and her drinking her wine straight up from the bottle like I’d do at a sleepover than listen to someone with no experience on my lifestyle.
Be Environmentally Friendly
Be thoughtful of your impact on the environment. I think this is true for every single industry, but more so for agricultural ones. We’re living in a day and age of environmental disaster. And the big corporations might not agree to mend their ways, but that’s why it’s so much more important for us to support those that actually care about their impact on the environment: today and in the future. Give us a chance to support you. It isn’t that we don’t care about luxury: we are simply more conscious about what luxuries we are loyal to.
Educate, educate, educate us
Educate us! Help us develop a broader context and a deeper understanding of the wine - yes, we want to appreciate the story, but we also want to gain expertise in what we’re spending so much time and resources on.
Experimentation
Relax and experiment - we’ll help you! For a generation which has grown up on seeing wines as a common commodity, innovative packaging will invite us. Make it cool (appealing graphics?), make it 
conscious (eco-friendly packaging?), make it convenient (single servings of wine in cans?), make it thoughtful (biodynamic wines!). We aren’t afraid of change. Try us.
Wine Tourism
Don’t be afraid of vertical collaborations. Experiences aren’t made in isolation, and we prefer growing together! Wine tourism is a booming market for India, which you should tap! (Contiki and Airbnb, are you interested?)
Wine is but a Commodity
Be conscious of our wallets. We’ve literally seen wine in canned boxes, drank it straight from the bottle in our PJs, and had it with Maggie because dad wasn’t home to cook for us. It isn’t a luxury for us, but a regular commodity we’ve grown up with. We just want a good bottle of wine, man, but that shouldn’t have to necessarily burn a hole in already tiny pockets.
How much is too much?
To be honest, I think we are going overboard with how much we drink, and personally, I feel that we need to consciously think about how much is too much. However, I think inculcating interest and generating awareness and appreciation can make us stop and think about what we're drinking, rather than chugging it straight up without appreciating the finer nuances of what's in our glass (or bottle!) After all, drinking from the bottle is cool, but drinking the whole bottle straight up = alcohol poisoning!
The Indian wine industry has a lot to look forward to and to achieve. And surely, a Grover Brut isn’t much compared to a Dom, but I’ll still remember the first bottle of La Reserve wine I got for a college party and shared with my friends and enjoyed it.
We’re here for you. Are you here for us?
Aruna Chawla
For her earlier Articles, click here:
Guide to Storing Alcohol in Homes in India
Kofuku-Serving Happiness at Delhi’s Ansal Plaza
Guide to Drinking Age for Wine and Liquor Laws in India
Aruna is a Lawyer, Entrepreneur, Social Activist and Wine Enthusiast. Too many caps for a 23-year-old, right? Based out of Delhi, she works as a freelance legal and business consultant for artists, and writes about law, alcohol, millennial marketing, and food!