If you’re like me, you enjoy getting out into the wine regions, visiting cellar doors and meeting those behind the wines. I love the whole experience of visiting a great cellar door run by engaging and knowledgeable people. And today, most of them are very good indeed.

I recently spent some time visiting cellar doors and meeting the people behind them. People who made me feel welcome. People who were interested in enhancing my experience. People who didn’t push a sale. In each little encounter, each little story, I was the hero and the cellar manager my guide. I left happy and with wine!

When I got home, I looked up their websites — their virtual cellar doors. With each one, the virtual experience was the exact opposite of the real one. Every winery spoke exclusively about themselves—their vineyards, their viticulture, their winemaking, their awards, etc. I'm not saying these things aren't important, but in their virtual cellar doors, it is the wineries themselves who are the heroes of their own stories. With no room left for me, the customer.

It doesn’t have to be this way. The technology exists to make intelligent, interactive and engaging digital experiences. I believe the wine businesses that get this right will be the success stories of tomorrow.

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Matt Remphrey