Menglin Huang Volunteers got loose at Friday night’s event.
Wine Riot Attracts Non-Snobby Sippers
Rosy-cheeked, not-quite connoisseurs poured into One Hanson Place last weekend for
Second Glass Company’s first-ever Wine Riot in Brooklyn. In early promotions, the Boston-originated company promised an accessible wine tasting, welcoming questions — and a little rowdiness — from the largely twenty- and thirty-something crowd.
“It used to be that people didn’t start drinking wine until they were around 35,” said co-founder Morgan First, “but the millennial generation is starting much younger.”
Ms. First, 27, and Tyler Balliet, 31, the two creators of Wine Riot, and members of their own target demographic, came up with the idea of making wine tasting more appealing to their peers about four years ago.
“We were going to these wine tastings that were really boring,” said Ms. First, who was living in Boston at the time. “How did you take a room full of alcohol and make it boring?”
Most people think that young people are only beer drinkers, explained 26-year-old Nick Perold, a local digital and technology blogger and wine aficionado. He thought of Wine Riot as a chance for younger generations to learn about wine. “It makes wine accessible for young people,”Mr. Perold said.
Small wine producers at Wine Riot used the event to reach younger consumers.
“We’re getting to meet people, we’re getting to find out what they like,” said Laurel Quady, 64, of Mereda, Calif., who made her first wine with her husband in 1975 and now specializes in Muscat dessert wines. “Younger people come hear to learn, they don’t come here with a lot of preconceived notions,” she said.
Michael Robertson, 32, a wine manager and buyer at the Greene Grape, noted that the under-thirty customer is a slightly larger demographic than any other at his store.
“I think Fort Greene is a perfect place for such an event being that it is extremely eclectic and also centrally located,” Mr. Robertson said via e-mail. “Historically, wine as a subject has always been considered somewhat intimidating and unapproachable. But I think stores like ours and events like Wine Riot let a little fresh air into the room, allowing people to let their guard down and just enjoy exploring.”
At the first of three Wine Riots in Fort Greene, it was acceptable, even encouraged, to get a little tipsy. So to help keep it all together, Second Glass created a mobile application to help customers remember which wines they tasted during the night. The app also lets producers track wines that participants “liked.”
“Last year we had six samples at the tasting table, and we asked people to vote for their favorite through the app, and we turned it into bottles,” said Jeannie Hannigan, the marketing manager of Latitude Beverage Co.
To get Second Glass started, Ms. First and Mr. Balliet originally took out a loan from a family friend and called in some favors from friends Mr. Balliet had made while working in the wine industry. They were able to pay back their loan after the first Wine Riot was a success.
They now have 10 full-time staff members, two interns, and 20 volunteers at each event who work in exchange for a free ticket the following night.
“I didn’t know anything about wine. I just know I liked to drink it, “said Mr. Balliet, who discovered his wine drinking passion while living in France. “But the stories are so fascinating. Most wine producers get stuck on aromas, not the history.”
Ms. First said she thought Fort Greene was the right location for the New York City leg of the tour.
“Our whole thing is that we’re doing something different — we really liked the feel of Brooklyn,” Ms. First said.
The $50 ticket may seem steep for most twenty-somethings, but Ms. First pointed out other tastings in the city can cost $70 and up, and all the wine featured was available for around $30 a bottle.
“There are a lot of wine snobs, but wine is a very basic product,” said Julius Angelini of Angelini Wine. Mr. Angelini grew up with wine; his family has been making it on their farm in the Marche region of Italy since 1910. “If you like a wine, it’s good,” he said. “If you don’t then it’s bad. It’s that simple.”
Bill & Sheila’s Wine
