Should Wineberserkers Try to Attract Younger Members?

[Max_S1]

If only I had the time…

[J_Rock]

I’m kind of younger for this board (under 40) and enjoy it a lot, but when I meet younger wine enthusiasts in the wild, they are aware of WB and the general consensus is that it’s snobby and elitist (although, also super informative). I dont agree, but I can see how all of the incredibly expensive bottles discussed here can be intimidating to someone just starting out or who enjoys wines that are usually $50 or less.

Granted, there are a lot of great threads about less expensive wines (e.g., denegose, last bottle, Riesling, Spatburgunder, etc.) but I think those threads with severl hundreds of posts can also be a bit intimidating or off putting to someone coming here for the first time. Maybe if more people posted and discussed (without being condescending) threads on more “casual” or accessible wines, it’d be easier for more younger people to feel welcomed.

[JulianD]

@Robert_Dentice

What would be helpful / useful to you?

Subsidies

[Alan_Rath]

@jgreco

I’d start by not using forum software from the 20th century and getting rid of ad formats that a porn website would be embarrassed to use.

This is interesting to me. I’m a mid-boomer, and have experienced literally every possible type of forum/BB software that has existed (not to mention word processing, programming languages, operating systems, etc. lol). For what we do here, I love the format. But then I despise Instagram, dislike Reddit, slack, and most other platforms intended for interaction. Curious what platform you think would be appropriate, and better, for the lengthy discussions that go on here?

[Alan_Rath]

@GWang

@MChang

I have been trying to meet up with younger posters on here as often as I can and opening burgundies (which may or may not be a good thing for their financial health) but certainly not in as organized a way.

That’s exactly how I got into Burgundy (white burgundy to be specific). Someone from an older generation that I randomly sat next to at a restaurant counter was kind enough to share a pour from Lafon Meursault Perrieres–I was hooked since and my wallet has rued the day.

We were at dinner recently, with a nice bottle of Chablis. Had a bit left at the end, so I donated the bottle to the young couple next to us. Hopefully gave them something to talk about lol.

[MChang]

@mattgw

@MChang

Almost everyone is asked to used search, which is likely helpful, but means the vast majorities of posts they might make are pointless, so why should they post at all?

This is definitely a thing that has kept me from posting new threads. I’m not sure how much younger I am than the average (I’m 37), but I am definitely newer around here, and I think people often suggest using the search function without appreciating that it’s not always that easy to find the information you’re looking for by searching.

Also if you search there’s like 4000 threads that aren’t exactly what you’re looking for. I try to look for threads I know exist on here and can’t easily find them on search, it’s infuriating. It’s easier to find the threads using actual google.

[MChang]

@J_Rock

I’m kind of younger for this board (under 40) and enjoy it a lot, but when I meet younger wine enthusiasts in the wild, they are aware of WB and the general consensus is that it’s snobby and elitist (although, also super informative). I dont agree, but I can see how all of the incredibly expensive bottles discussed here can be intimidating to someone just starting out or who enjoys wines that are usually $50 or less.

Granted, there are a lot of great threads about less expensive wines (e.g., denegose, last bottle, Riesling, Spatburgunder, etc.) but I think those threads with severl hundreds of posts can also be a bit intimidating or off putting to someone coming here for the first time. Maybe if more people posted and discussed (without being condescending) threads on more “casual” or accessible wines, it’d be easier for more younger people to feel welcomed.

Even if you read about WB on other wine forums basically what you hear is that people get into ridiculous disagreements and aren’t nice to ppl. I admit sometimes I’m not nice to people but usually not to new posters lol

[Michael_Singer]

I am 28 and NYC based. I got into wine as a result of the pandemic, but for me and a lot of my friends wine at first is just really intimidating not to mention a wine forum. For the first 6 months or so I was on here I felt like I had nothing to add to any conversation, slowly you find areas where you have experience and get more comfortable talking but the biggest contribution to me posting here is actually the offline experiences.

I think once you meet some of the people chatting on this forum and have interactions with the wine community you start to realize that everyone is here for the same goal. I think the behavior outside of WB may even be more important than on the forum assuming the main way people here about us is word of mouth.

I know I personally get the greatest enjoyment from helping younger people get involved in wine?

For me source material was one of the first things that got me really excited about Riesling and was a catalyst to get me more engaged in wine in general.

[Robert_Dentice]

@JulianD

Subsidies

I hear you, I have posted twice about an excellent bottle of Riesling that is effectively $10 per 750 and got almost no comments.

The 2023 looks to be about $12.50 given it is in a liter bottle:

Welcome to Astor Wines & Spirits

[MChang]

@JulianD

@Robert_Dentice

What would be helpful / useful to you?

Subsidies

I mean, wine events sorta do that.

[Robert_Dentice]

Thanks for the great post. I agree once you get to know some of the personalities the online posts come off much differently and you feel much more confident to post.

[Max_S1]

Right, but thats 1 bottle, how many wine shops have it available?

[Alan_Rath]

@m_blasco

This is true for me at least. I’ve read forum pretty voraciously since getting into wine, long before actually making an account (many years of wisdom here), but don’t have much to contribute and feel the stuff I’m drinking is not worth discussing amongst people routinely pulling corks on aged GC Burgundy and cult cab. A splurge wine for me is $75+ since I really don’t feel justified in putting down hundreds of dollars yet for wines from appellations I’m still learning about.

Even with a fairly extensive and broad cellar, $75 is a splurge for me as well lol. Seriously, most people here are not opening expensive grand crus on a daily, or even monthly basis.

I’ll say this by way of encouragement: anyone can shell out big $$ for big name grand crus and firstly growths. There are plenty of people who only drink those kinds of wines. But they aren’t berserkers lol. A wine berserker, for me, is someone who gets into wine in such a way that they are exploring, and enjoying, the thousands of wines out there that are interesting, delicious, unique, and can be opened any night of the week.

[Jonathan_Jaggers]

I’m not young (50) anymore and secure in my wine tastes, but if I were young and less secure (because e.g. I was just getting into this world, or had less disposable income) this place honestly would have scared me away. I used to be on message boards for things like a certain genre of music where there wasn’t half of the snobbery and negativity you get here if your preferred style is, say, bolder Napa cab.

[bracine]

My journey to WB began thanks to a great friend and fellow WB supporter who introduced me to BerserkerDay. I quickly became hooked after participating in the event and exploring the various threads. There is an abundance of information and knowledge within them, which I’ve used to plan my recent trip to Oregon and my upcoming trip to Napa in 2025. While it’s easy to get lost in the threads (in a good way), it can be overwhelming at first, especially if you don’t know where to begin or what to look for. I also believe that younger individuals may feel less certain about their tastes or experiences, which could lead many to be lurkers rather than active posters.

Overall, I think events like BerserkerDay and outside WB meetups can effectively attract younger members. Once these individuals get involved in such events, I can see them becoming more active participants in the threads as they become more comfortable with their experiences/tastes.

[Jeremy_Holmes]

I’d rather just keep the board for us grumpy old fuckers who know everything.

[larry_schaffer]

@Jonathan_Jaggers

I’m not young (50) anymore and secure in my wine tastes, but if I were young and less secure (because e.g. I was just getting into this world, or had less disposable income) this place honestly would have scared me away. I used to be on message boards for things like a certain genre of music where there wasn’t half of the snobbery and negativity you get here if your preferred style is, say, bolder Napa cab.

Yep . . .

It’s always interesting when one of these threads comes up, as it seems to every year or two. So many on this board seem to have a bit of a tunnel vision when it comes to this the subject.

It’s clear that this has been and continues to be something that needs to considered on this board - one post and one poster at a time.

Cheers

[JulianD]

@MChang

I mean, wine events sorta do that.

I posted semi-jokingly, but it was a lot easier to get into burgundy etc at 80/90s prices than todays

[brigcampbell]

About 1,700 people registered for Wineberserkers in 2024. Many more newbie lurkers.

While we don’t know the average age it’s safe to assume they’re significantly younger than the average berserker.

[Phil_T_r_o_t_t_e_r]

@Jeremy_Holmes

grumpy old fuckers who know everything

Yep, seems like a viable niche market to me.