Jamie Goode

Sep 2, 2024 | winemag.co.za | Jamie Goode

There was a time when knocking the mantra that lower yields result in better quality was all the rage in wine science circles. With most crops, yield is everything. The more you can grow, the better you are doing. With wine, it’s quite different. First of all, people try to avoid fertile soils for winegrowing, instead wanting the vines to struggle a bit (but not too much) so that rather than focus on growing lush canopies, they should put their energy into growing grapes.

Jul 31, 2024 | winemag.co.za | Jamie Goode

The term ‘influencer’ is a trigger word for some people. It comes loaded with meaning, and for many in the wine industry it’s somewhat pejorative. What is an ‘influencer’? It’s a term used to describe someone who has a significant presence on one of two social media platforms: TikTok or Instagram. More than this, it is someone who focuses almost exclusively on these platforms and uses their presence to market products.

Jul 1, 2024 | winemag.co.za | Jamie Goode

I’ve read quite a few articles complaining that wine professionals are out of step with ‘consumers’, and that in our assessment of wine, we need to be more consumer friendly. This all sounds well and good – and very few feel they are able to question this, because to do so would put you in the position of not caring for the consumer. But it’s a very problematic position to take. I’m going to take that position, though, and to do this you will have to let me form my argument in stages.

Jun 3, 2024 | winemag.co.za | Jamie Goode

One of the things with wine is that trying something new is often an expensive venture – especially if you are eating out. For consumers in a supermarket one of the most expensive things they put in their trolleys is a bottle of wine. And in restaurants, if there are two of you eating and you don’t want to go by the glass, then your opportunity for the evening is one, or perhaps two bottles, so you want to get it right because these will probably cost more than your food. It’s different with beer.

Apr 1, 2024 | winemag.co.za | Jamie Goode

In business, there are many economies of scale. But often, scaling up can mean a significant change in product quality. Take craft beer versus big beer. Several years ago I became really interested in beer, and started tasting lots of different ones, and even went to visit breweries. I started a beer blog at one stage, but it never really caught on. But while I was following beer quite closely there was a common and rather depressing narrative.