95% of all Champagne sold is produced by the largest houses and have the names we all know.

5% of all Champagne sold is Farmer Fizz, i.e. Recoultant Manipulant, stuff from the families and the little producers that ship tiny quantities their wines to the United States.

For wine salespeople and marketers, the discussion usually ends there, and depending on what side of the sales equation you’re on, the spin can go in various directions.

But here’s the most important thing, and something that is never discussed: the 5% of Champagne sold representing Farmer Fizz is purchased by less than 1% of the Champagne drinkers.

In other words, it’s about loyalty to an idea. It’s about taking a stand. For those consumers, it’s about being in a tribe. To paraphrase Seth Godin it’s saying “People like us drink wines like this.”

That is the future of wine selling. Finding out who “the people” are, discovering the tribe, then showing them their wines.

Less than 1% of wine drinkers is a fully viable audience. You don’t need to sell to more than that.

Show them what they seek, and they will take it from there.

PS: Note that I said, “That is the future of wine selling.” Not fine wine sales. Not specialty wine selling. Not category selling. Not high end selling. Nope. Simply the future of wine selling, from Barefoot to Barolo.