Wine influencers are influential social media users, bloggers, or vloggers with numerous followers and a taste for wine. They are passionate about wine, and collaborating with them can help you get your products in front of more people.
But we have so many social influencers out there who claim to have a knack for wine.
How do you know a genuine one from one who is only out to sell their experience and lifestyle?
Measure the social media growth of wine influencers you wish to take on board and find out if they target the right audience.
What’s more?
Check out their demographics, previous partnerships, engagement rate, and whether they have fake followers, and if they follow industry guidelines while posting.
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How Influencers Benefit the Wine Industry
Wine influencers provide brands access to an audience they cannot reach on their own. They are essential advocates who can help wine brands reach all their target demographics.
In fact, a study showed that:
- Wine influencers can be effective in spreading information about wines and companies in the wine sector. This can help you boost market awareness.
- Online discussions pioneered by wine influencers can influence the choices and purchasing behavior of wine consumers.
- Consumers are using wine influencers as a point of reference in their perception of a brand. This makes them important for brand repositioning.
However, the most profitable partnership with a wine influencer will be organic and authentic provided you’ve found the right influencer. That’s because consumers can differentiate between an authentic endorsement and a marketing stunt, or content that is “forced.”
The most notable example would be Action Bronson’s reaction to Cornelissen’s Susucaru wine bottle during one of his shows on Viceland.
The chef-turned-rapper made a big fuss out of the wine.
As a result, searches for the Susucaru wine during that month skyrocketed to 24,000. This was a big boost given that only 1300 searches of the wine had been made in the rest of the year.
What Kind of Content Do Wine Influencers Create?
Unlike industries like clothing, shoes, and beauty where there are likely to be sales directly linked to the influence, the situation is different for wine creators.
Many wine influencers are likely to drive traffic to your website, grocery or liquor store. From there, your brand’s local marketing should take over and engage with the consumer, and hopefully close a sale.
Use wine influencers to reach new audiences, get new fans, and gain more exposure for your wine.
Wine influencers create:
- Entertaining lifestyle content that involves wine, such as a night out to dinner, partying with friends, or a family movie night around the fire
- Reviews that break down the complexity of the wine industry and helps the consumer make an informed decision
- Guides on food and wine pairings
- Wine tips on taking tasting notes to help their audience improve their experience with wine consumption
- Short videos and pictures promoting their love for wine and the culture around it
It’s within such content that they subtly feature a brand they’re promoting.
But who are the best wine influencers you can incorporate in your influencer marketing strategy?
Find out below as we analyze genuine influencers in the industry and the kind of content they bring to the table.
11 Wine Influencers You Can Leverage To Promote Your Brand
Before we get into the list of well-known wine influencers in the industry, here is how you can collaborate with them in your influencer campaigns.
- Send wine influencers samples of your wine or invite them for a wine tasting. The reviews they write about your wine can help create brand awareness and get more of your products on supermarket shelves.
- Leverage the authority of wine influencers in helping you build audience trust. Work with them on a long-term campaign or have them visit your winery refinery for authentic behind-the-scenes stories.
- Get more people to visit your winery by collaborating with influencers on content creation. They can write about your harvest process, your cellars, tastings, etc. You can then leverage this influencer-generated content in the future to promote your brand.
- If you have an event, you can have wine influencers promote it They can create a campaign that runs during the days leading up to the event. This can help you get more people to attend.
And now that you know how to leverage wine influencers for brand promotion, here are some of the best in the industry.
1. James Suckling
Image via YouTube
James Suckling is one of the wine influencers with serious clout. He is a well-respected wine critic who’s been in the industry for over 40 years.
James uses his platform and social media pages to educate and enlighten people on wine. He also reviews and rates wines on his site, which receives more than 600k unique visitors per year.
2. The Grape Explorer
Image via YouTube
For lovers of fine dining, wine influencers such as The Grape Explorer make it simple and easy to understand the world of wine. His social media channels feature product reviews, unboxings, wine education videos, and many tasting events.
And guess what?
Collaborating on a YouTube influencer marketing campaign with wine influencers such as him can help you drive traffic and conversions. It can be a great way to accumulate testimonials, how-to videos, in-depth reviews, etc.
3. The Wine Wankers
Image via Twitter
For wine influencers with the funniest but most informative content, The Wine Wankers are your best bet.
These are a dynamic duo, Drew, and Conrad, from Australia, who travel the world searching for the best wines and sharing their findings with their audience. Their blog also features educational content on wine.
4. Michelle Chen
Image via TikTok
Want to get the most from TikTok influencer marketing?
Well, Michelle Chen is one of the wine influencers you can leverage.
Known as @legallywined on her social platforms, Michelle is one of the wine influencers who uses her accounts to make wine accessible to audiences. She creates fun educational videos on pairings, reading menus, training palates, and so much more.
5. Isis Daniel
Image via TikTok
Isis Daniel is also another of the wine influencers you can work with on TikTok.
She creates educational videos on wine for the uninitiated drinker while also incorporating humor. You will have fun watching her animated videos and listening to the different voice affectations in her reviews.
What’s more?
She has a branded hashtag, #TastingThursday, on TikTok with over 33k views, and a live session #TMSHappyHour on Instagram, where she interviews wineries and wine professionals.
6. Shakera Jones
Image via Instagram
If you’ve chosen Instagram as your social media channel for influencer marketing, then one of the top wine influencers you can work with is Shakera Jones.
She uses her blog, Black Girls Dine Too, and Instagram account to educate people about cuisines and wines.
What’s more?
She hosts bi-weekly tastings virtually, and her content helps break down barriers associated with fine wines.
Shakera also hosts a podcast, A Glass for Every Palate, and the show Weekly Wines, where she talks with influential wine personalities from across the world.
7. Georgia Panagopoulou
Image via Instagram
Popular wine influencers such as Georgia or the @wine.gini create authentic and informative content on wine.
The Wine Gini shares photos of her travels and accompanies them with interesting stories on wine, cellars, vineyards, harvest sneak peeks, etc.
She also writes reviews of excellent wine options and is an ambassador for various wineries. Working with Wine Gini and amplifying her influencer content can build audience trust and expose your brand to an engaged audience of wine lovers.
8. @youhadmeatbordeaux
Image via Instagram
Wine influencers, Cecily and Natalia, use their Instagram account and blog to help their followers find fun in wine. They share tips and recommendations on wine and take their audience on adventures in vineyards.
These wine influencers have merged their love for wine, travel, and photography to create content that keeps their audiences entertained and informed.
And guess what?
They would make for great candidates for that ambassador program your brand has been thinking about.
9. Sparkling Winos
Image via Instagram
Wine influencers, Mike and Jeff, take their followers on adventures while reinforcing the notion that wine should not only be for special occasions.
Their blog, Sparkling Winos, reiterates the same, while their Instagram account features entertaining and educational content on different wines.
10. Kelly Mitchell
Image via Instagram
A wine expert based in Napa Valley, Kelly Mitchell loves a good bottle of wine and wants her followers to be passionate about wine too.
Through her social media channels and her wine blog, The Wine Siren, Kelly demystifies the complex process of making world-class wine and food.
She also shares her experiences discovering new wine bottles while traveling around the world.
Kelly is a wine enthusiast with a curious nature and spirited approach to sharing the stories of the people behind a good wine bottle resulting in engaging and educational content.
You can expect her to create the same amazing and engaging content for your wine brand.
11. Madeline Puckette
Image via Instagram
A certified sommelier, wine educator, and a James Beard award winner- 2019, Madeline Puckette has established her place in the wine industry.
This wine expert is also the co-founder of Wine Folly, an educational wine blog.
Her delivery of in-depth knowledge about wine, which includes infographics and other eye-catching visuals, can broaden any wine novice or pro’s perception and knowledge about the world of wine.
She shares tips on taking tasting notes, pairings to have a better wine experience, and more.
It has earned her a loyal following that you can leverage to boost your brand. Wine Folly is active on YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, and LinkedIn as well.
FAQs
1. What is a wine influencer?
Wine influencers are personalities with digital space and an audience that trusts their recommendations on the wine niche. They can help your brand increase its reach, share authentic stories, and grow a customer base.
2. How do you become a wine critic?
Use these steps to become a wine critic
- Have an interest in wine
- Read books and take wine classes
- Taste different types of wines a week
- Work as a server at a fine restaurant
- Travel to wine-producing regions
3. Who are the top wine influencers of 2021 on Instagram in the USA?
- Shakera Jones
- Georgia Panagopoulou
- @youhadmeatbordeaux
- Sparkling Winos
4. How to Become a Wine Influencer?
These are steps you can use to become a wine influencer:
- Become an expert at wine by reading books, tasting different wines, and taking classes as a wine sommelier.
- Identify the kind of audience you want to target and what content would interest them.
- Optimize your social media accounts by identifying platforms you will use and creating content that engages your audience.
- Consistently engage audiences.
- Approach wine brands you can work with and request collaborations.
- Track your performance and optimize for a greater engagement rate.
5. Can wine influencers help you sell wine?
Yes, they can.
All you need is to find an influencer with authentic content, high engagement rates, and influence. Then, either give them a sample of your wine to review or work with them on an ongoing campaign.
Doing this gives you access to articles, reviews, recommendations, and endorsements that drive visitors to your website or your winery. Additionally, it gives you access to a new audience interested in the kind of wine you sell and hopefully longtime customers.
Ready to Promote Your Brand with the Best Wine Influencers?
If you want your wine brand to increase reach and drive conversions, you can work with wine influencers who’ve made careers out of their passion. From wine critics, authors, and industry experts, these wine influencers have the type of content that would educate your audience and get them to try your wines.
But each wine brand is unique, and promoting a wine brand isn’t something that’s only exclusive to wine influencers. Many wine brands have had tremendous success promoting their brands with lifestyle influencers on social media.
So if you need help vetting and finding wine influencers or lifestyle influencers who can promote your brand, contact us. Our expert team will help you get influencers who meet your needs and drive the results you’re looking for.
