Shouting Loudly at the Wine Industry is Still Just Shouting
Not too long ago I wrote about the really horrendous rhetoric used by anti-winery folks over in Sonoma (BLISS-Fully Ignorant in Sonoma and Napa Wine Country) concerning their view that the wine industry is ruining everything.
Well it turns out that a new study out of Sonoma State University reveals that the vast majority of people living in and around wine country think the wine industry is just great. In fact:
— Eighty-eight percent of respondents from Napa, Sonoma and Lake counties said wineries have either a positive (42 percent) or very positive (46 percent) impact on their area’s quality of life.
— Eighty-five percent of North Bay respondents said wine grape growers have a positive (45 percent) or very positive (40 percent) impact on their area’s quality of life.
— 94 percent of North Bay respondents said the wine industry contributes either a great deal (65 percent) or some (29 percent) to adding beauty and culture to the region.
The fact that a survey that is statistically relevant shows a huge amount of positive feelings toward the wine industry just as a number of voices are popping up loudly criticizing the wine industry should drive home an important point: Just because someone is shouting doesn’t mean they represent a silent majority.
At the risk of being argumentative, how is it they could only find 66 people out of 140,000+ in Napa County to take the online survey during the last 2 weeks of July? Even the report says that with the small sample size (<.0005% of the population) "the results should be viewed with that in mind." But then again, I am always a bit suspicious of surveys. So much depends on how and in what context a question is asked. And, while I like wine a lot, I am a known advocate for apples… Here's a link to the report for those that are interested. http://www.sonoma.edu/sbe/wine-business-institute/research/public%20perception%20of%20wine%20businesses.pdf
While I agree that it is horrendous rhetoric (and misinformation) coming from some industry critics, the survey does show that they’re having some success in their message, even if it is still in minority, and the industry would do well to keep up the positive messaging and working with the community.
http://www.wineindustryadvisor.com/2015/08/18/wine-industry-pr-still-needed/
The same attitude is prevalent here in the Anderson Valley. Those that support the Industry, in most cases, don’t have a reason to come to the anti-wine meetings and make their voices heard. The result is that “squeaky wheels” develop and distort the actual attitude of an entire region. That said, I think those squeaky wheels deserve to speak and wineries might find more support if they encouraged conversation proactively and, dare I say, listen. I am not saying capitulate on every point, but genuinely listen.
Off this topic, but I just read the CAP Survey results regarding consumer attitudes when it comes to alcohol regulation policy and I CAN NOT EVEN believe you haven’t posted an angry retort yet to deny any truth to the results which show that American consumers believe in strong alcohol regulation and are entirely satisfied that they can find what they are looking for in their community. You must be in the midst of a big wind-up on this one. Can not wait.
І regard ѕomething genuinely іnteresting аbout your website sⲟ I saved to bookmarks.