Burn down the Vines: Why the Wine Industry Can’t Crack DTC (and What We’re Doing Differently)

Burn down the Vines: Why the Wine Industry Can’t Crack DTC (and What We’re Doing Differently)

Burn down the Vines: Why the Wine Industry Can’t Crack DTC (and What We’re Doing Differently)

I had the pleasure of attending the 18th annual Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Wine Symposium in Monterey, CA these past three days. I say pleasure because Monterey is a wonderful place to visit, with wonderful local wines and legendary restaurants. And the conference itself was very well organized - kudos to their ops team. But the Direct to Consumer Wine Symposium, billed as the nation’s premier conference dedicated to winery DTC sales and marketing, felt like wandering through a vineyard in the winter: there was really nothing worth seeing.

Let me set the scene: The speakers were a mix of well-meaning but mostly unqualified individuals, fumbling to explain the industry's DTC failures and without the business experience to draw from other industries that have successfully navigate the transition to digital. The attendees were basically a mix of old men and young women. It felt like the deaf leading the blind, and the blind still think it's 1997. Meanwhile, in the adjacent trade show, software vendors were hawking tools that looked like they were built in someone's garage. This wasn't Silicon Valley; it was a Renaissance fair where amateur healers peddled snake oil while the rest of the world had already discovered modern medicine.

The problem, as I see it, is clear: wineries are woefully unprepared for the digital age. They don’t understand technology, and worse, they don’t understand why their DTC strategies aren’t working. Everyone there seemed focused on tinkering with minor fixes—a new CRM here, a social media "strategy" there—but no one could diagnose the root issue. The new generation grew up online; the world of wine influencers grew up offline; nobody goes to wine shops any more. How is anyone supposed to know what to drink when they don't have anyone to guide them? Instead, they hide behind complexity.

The wine industry loves complexity. They use it to justify $80 bottles of Chardonnay and $150 Pinot Noirs. They think complexity is what sells wine: layers of tasting notes, vineyards with complicated names, and the myth of an ancient craft. But complexity doesn’t sell to younger consumers. It alienates them. Today’s drinkers want connection, clarity, and simplicity. They want wine that’s easy to understand and enjoy, not a homework assignment.

What the wine industry doesn’t want to admit is this: most wineries wouldn’t have any direct-to-consumer sales if they hadn’t inherited their customer base from legacy in-person relationships. Tasting room visitors from Napa vacations. Wine club subscribers they signed up 15 years ago. Without that old infrastructure propping them up, their DTC efforts would be as empty as their Shopify carts.

And here’s the kicker: everyone in the room knows it. They know the industry is stuck in its ways. They know they’re losing relevance with younger drinkers. But no one will say it out loud. Why? Because they’re all too polite, too nice, and too busy networking for their next gig. Criticizing the industry is like lighting a match in a barrel room—no one wants to risk the explosion.

At Bruno, we’ve chosen a different path. We’re not clinging to the old rules. We don’t depend on legacy customers or hide behind industry jargon. We’ve ditched complexity in favor of stories, moments, and experiences that resonate with today’s drinkers. Bruno is for people who bring a bottle of wine to a party they weren’t even sure they were invited to. For the ones sipping Sauvignon Blanc while scrolling through their friend’s Italian vacation on Instagram. For the moments that don’t need a sommelier or a dictionary to understand.

The entrenched wine industry is trying to patch holes in a sinking ship. We’re building a new one. We’re here for the drinkers who don’t fit the mold. The ones who think wine should be fun, not fussy. And while the industry debates the merits of another overpriced tech tool, we’ll be busy doing what they can’t: creating something simple, clear, and exciting.

If you’ve ever felt like the wine world wasn’t for you, we’re here to say: it is now.