Wine is social celebrates its tenth anniversary. The wine club and distributor was born thanks to the impulse of four wine enthusiasts, Ferran Centelles, Manel Sarasa, Albert Martí and Thomas Kissler, who had the vision of launching a company that would simplify its consumption and eradicate the perception of it being an elitist product or only for experts. "Wine is social was born out of love for wine. Our purpose was to make wine easier to love," recalls Sarasa, who before founding the company had worked in tech companies Teambox and Openbravo and invested in Wuaki.tv, eyeOS and Bananity.
"The world of wine had become very complicated, to the point of scaring consumers. We wanted to launch a club that wouldn't test customers and would foster this love for wine that we, the founding partners, have," says Albert Martí, satisfied that ten years later this business idea remains fully valid, although the company has expanded its activity and currently also operates as a distributor of major national and international brands and as a consultant that helps restaurants design the best wine list for the enjoyment of their diners.
Wine is social has already surpassed 5,000 subscribers, meaning club members who pay a monthly fee in exchange for receiving a pack of two bottles of wine at home, aligned with their tastes and selected by a tasting committee made up of three expert sommeliers: David Seijas, who was El Bulli's sommelier for 9 years; master of wine David Forer, and international wine communication and marketing expert Amaia Soto. Although recurring subscribers are 5,000, the club has a reach of 500,000 people ---a community of wine lovers who periodically receive their recommendations--- and totals 50,000 occasional buyers.
To become a subscriber, two options can be chosen: a monthly fee of 19.99 euros or one of 49.99 euros that allows receiving two bottles of higher-end wine. These amounts include VAT and home delivery service. "The two bottles of the basic fee have a market value of around 25 euros, while the value of the high-end bottles we deliver reaches 65 euros," explains Sarasa.
According to the co-founder and CEO, the design of each pack aims to offer "a tasting experience" to members, who also receive a technical sheet of the product and an explanation that justifies the reason for that pairing or the logic of that monthly selection. "We like to present it as a game, we always look for a link that relates the two bottles," says Sarasa. In total, Wine is social sends 10,000 bottles each month to club members, who, in addition to choosing between the two tariffs, can choose between four models of boxes or packs, depending on whether they prefer to receive two whites, two reds, one red and one white, or wines of a certain profile.
Five years ago, Wine is social diversified its activity by also becoming a distributor, meaning it no longer only sells to the final consumer, but also to the restaurant sector, with a vision of "adding value to their wine lists." "What differentiates us from other companies in the sector is that we add value to restaurateurs who want to handle the wine topic well, that is, who want to offer the best possible wine list to their target audience," highlights the executive. The company operates directly in some markets, such as Barcelona, but relies on a network of 50 local distributors to supply all of Spain, which allows them to reach more than 20,000 restaurants.
Wine is social distributes a catalog of more than 1,000 references that combines prestigious national and international brands, with new vignerons, trendsetters, and with software that helps restaurants improve their sales. "If we look back, we have done wonderful things connecting exceptional wineries with all types of consumers. But looking ahead, we are going to do many more, to make it easier to love wine, whether in restaurants or also through the Internet, and new technologies will be on our side in that," adds Sarasa.
Wine is social has begun the celebration of its tenth anniversary with an unusual tasting at the Fiskebar restaurant in Barcelona led by sommelier Ferran Centelles, where the first bottles the club sent to its members in 2013 were uncorked. These were some packs that Centelles himself had kept safe, and attendees at the tasting were able to see how they had evolved over the last decade.
As expected, despite having been stored at a good temperature, most of the wines no longer had anything to do with the original product ---some were literally undrinkable---, and Centelles, in a very didactic way, technically explained how the passage of time affects wine and the different chemical reactions that occur inside the bottle, such as oxidation. "Fruity aromas are the first to be lost during aging; however, wood always remains," he explained, after acknowledging that it is very difficult to know how long a wine can last in its prime.
"90% of wines are consumed during the first year of being released to the market, and 99% before five years," added the sommelier to relativize this problem of how long a wine can be stored. Among the bottles opened in this unique tasting were brands such as Finca La Emperatriz, Nuestro, MAD, Quinta Mazuela, Cachito Mio, Heumann Lagona, Corias, Monasterio de Corias, Cosmic, Pas Curtei, Zulo CO.Op or Vora la Mar, one of Wine is social's own wine brands.
Albert Martí closed the event with the conviction that "this celebration is just the beginning, as we have many surprises prepared that will be gradually revealed, to celebrate these 10 years with more people and in different spaces. The party has only just begun. Long live wine!"