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An Existential Crisis in the wine aisle.

🤺 Marinus Wijnbeek

📅 28/02/2024


Driving down the Wine Aisle
Inspired by The Scream - Edvard Munch

We live in times where taking chances can have dire consequences. Where disappointment is to be avoided at all costs, and influence is held with the same regard as experience. The blind leading the blind. 


Lately I have the feeling of driving down a busy highway when looking to purchase wine. There are so many new producers and ranges, new varieties, vintages, and packaging. They say: "Don't judge a book by its cover." Maybe we should judge by actions and history? Probably more so than pedigree?  Old world, old ways? Or out with the old and in with the new?


I recently listened to a podcast about what motivates and drives humans, more than just the need to survive and fight another day. The argument was that we have an incredible desire for status. And as much as I would like to argue that life is so much more complex and nuanced, I  have to agree that it is a compelling argument. Fact is that with most products and services, a positive growth in status seems to be the key  driving factor in most marketing angles.


No longer the focus on quality, timelessness and authenticity, but pure status. This “-Insert Product Here-” will make you happier, feel younger, more content and give you the happiness you deserve and make you the envy of everyone around you. Influencers use this perception of “being” to create status envy. "Look at my success, my achievements, my success, my lifestyle." There seems to be an integral break away from the pride of achieving something that is not materially significant. Visual and consumable.


What happened to the simple joy of eating something your grandmother made? Lying next to someone on a cold day and feeling loved and wanted? Enjoying traditions? Celebrating community? It should be paramount to celebrate, as we celebrate a new child that has entered this world. And when we do, our community celebrates with us. Because without community, we are destitute. 

So now I invoke yet another question: Where do we find community?


Definition:

Ka-mju-neti”: a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. 


In my ideal community, status should be the main contributing factor to the success of said community. Success should not only be measured by what the individual has achieved, but by what it has allowed the community to achieve. And for that, the individual will be revered, respected, and elevated. And not consumed.


But still the choice remains: What am I looking for? And at the same time, how did this manage to escalate so quickly? I need something a bit lighter, but with a good texture. A Pinot Gris? With extended lees contact. Maybe a Winshaw.



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