This conversation is about the wine industry’s blind spot: the Base of the Pyramid.

Wine doesn’t survive by only selling premium. It survives because people can enter the category easily, and then some move up over time.

But if we keep shaming value wines, we don’t just lose volume.

We lose the on-ramp.

John puts it bluntly:

• “We’ve told consumers anything under $20 - under $10 - is poor quality.”

• “In US retail, 79% of volume is at $13 and below.”

• "Wines above $13 (USD) need to grow by 28%to offset the fall in wines below $13."

• “The industry needs these products for the long-term health and vitality of the category.”

So here’s the big question we explore: If today’s 20-year-olds don’t find wine as a normal, accessible part of life… will they ever ‘trade up’?

#RethinkingWine #WineIndustry #Moderation #GenZ #Community #WineMarketing #FutureOfWine #vinovisionaries #JohnSutton

📲 Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/vino_visionaries_podcast

▶️ Explore more episodes on our YouTube channel: @vino_visionaries

🌐 Visit our website:https://launch.rethinkingwine.app/

⁠⁠⁠👥Connect with John Sutton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-sutton-92367726/

If the wine industry thinks “drink in moderation” is the answer, we are missing the real question.In this episode, we unpack why moderation is not a one-size-fits-all message, why younger drinkers are opting out before they even begin, and why the future of wine depends on something we’ve avoided for too long - preventive education, peer education, and community-led conversations that help people understand themselves, not just the product.Because the consequences of drinking are different now.A single moment can be photographed, shared, remembered, and for many people, that changes everything.We also talk about the opportunity for wineries and brands to speak directly to the real concerns people have today, with more honesty, more context, and more humanity.If this conversation resonates, share it with someone in wine who still thinks the old message will work.Subscribe for more conversations rethinking wine, culture, and the future of our industry.This episode is for discussion only and is not medical advice.#RethinkingWine #WineIndustry #Moderation #GenZ #Community #WineMarketing #FutureOfWine #vinovisionaries #rafaelruiz #andrewmeans📲 Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/vino_visionaries_podcast▶️ Explore more episodes on our YouTube channel: @vino_visionaries🌐 Visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.rethinkingwine.app/⁠⁠⁠👥Connect with Andrew Means and ⁠Rafael Ruiz⁠

Innovation isn’t “more stuff”.

It isn’t another label, another cuvée, another slightly different SKU dressed up as progress.

Real innovation is a shift in perspective.

It’s the moment you stop thinking like the majority, and start seeing the category through a different lens. A lens that makes you ask better questions, not just produce more answers. It’s not about adding. It’s about improving what matters. It’s not “more”. It’s better.

That’s exactly why we invited Paul Peterson, a US-based specialist in innovation and customer insight, to join us on the podcast. Paul has spent more than 30 years inside the rooms where product decisions get made, and he’s noticed something most industries overlook.

He talks about a very specific type of customer: Catalytic customers.

And no, they’re not the same as early adopters. Early adopters chase novelty. They like being first. They’re curious, enthusiastic, and often forgiving.

Catalytic customers are different.

They’re usually already your customers.
They already care about what you’re building.
And because they care, they do something rare: they challenge you.

They don’t just say “I love it.”

They say:

“This part is confusing.”
“This part is missing.”
“This is where people drop off.”
“This is the assumption you’re making, and it’s not true.”

They can articulate what most customers never will, because most customers don’t have the time, the language, or the patience to explain why they’re disengaging.

They just leave. Quietly.
They choose something else.
And you only feel it later, in the numbers.

Catalytic customers help you see what your market is feeling before your data forces you to admit it. And in wine right now, that matters more than ever, because we keep “innovating” in ways that make sense to us, while missing what actually makes wine feel relevant, welcoming, and easy to choose for the people we say we want to bring in.

So this conversation isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about learning to listen to the right people, the ones who tell you the hard truths early, so you can build smarter, faster, and with real relevance. Because what's the point of innovating if we're not giving customers a stronger reason to choose you.📲 Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/vino_visionaries_podcast

▶️ Explore more episodes on our YouTube channel: @vino_visionaries

🌐 Visit our website: ⁠⁠https://www.rethinkingwine.app/⁠⁠

👥Connect with Paul Peterson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-peterson-mr/

#paulpeterson #vinovisionaries #rethinkingwine #rethinkingthewineindustry