August 8, 2006

"surreal marketing": a stormhoek dinner for non-drinkers

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From BL Ochman:

When I was in London last month I had dinner with Hugh Macleod and then drinks with Hugh and Jason Korman, president of Stormhoek Wines.

Jason asked if I'd like to host one of the Stormhoek 100 Geek Dinners in 100 Nights, and I said "I don't drink." He said, "hey, host it anyway." And so, amigos and amigas, I will do just that.

Jason pipes in:

So, for our friends in the trade who are afraid that we will offend the
non-drinkers of the world, we ask, why can't Stormhoek be the wine
non-drinkers would drink, if they did?
A sponsored wine dinner exclusively for people who don't drink. "Surreal Marketing". Exactly.

Posted by hugh macleod at August 8, 2006 2:09 PM | TrackBack
Comments

This works for me. As an ex-drinker who's comfortable around imbibers, I could easily see attending a wine dinner hosted by another non-drinker. I suspect there are plenty of others out there like me. Drink. Not drink. I don't mind the giggles. And I love the somewhat bizarre, doesn't quite compute dimension of wine dinners hosted by non-drinkers, or even exclusively for non-drinkers. How about an AA sponsored 12 Steps for Stormhoek Geek Dinner?

Posted by: David Cox at August 8, 2006 3:51 PM

I prefer the "exclusively for non-drinkers" angle, but it's BL's party, so it's her call who she invites.

Posted by: Hugh MacLeod at August 8, 2006 4:06 PM

Me too. this is fun, not therapy.

Posted by: B.L. Ochman at August 8, 2006 6:31 PM

The question "why can't Stormhoek be the wine
non-drinkers would drink, if they did?" is not so silly after all. Even if non-drinkers don't actually imbibe they still may be purchasers of wine - as gifts, to take to a dinner party, or on behalf of someone else (business, boss, partner, etc). So the non-drinkers geek dinner would allow the non-drinkers to be made aware of how much the drinkers in their life would like Stormhoek.

Posted by: Leah Maclean at August 9, 2006 12:24 AM

I don't drink and just this past Saturday hosted a very small party where Stormhoek was the featured drink.

The drinkers in my life definitely dug the taste and the screw-off top - what ease of use! - a hell of a lot. More than most other wines I've seen them imbibe.

Posted by: Jay at August 9, 2006 1:30 PM

I don't drink and just this past Saturday hosted a very small party where Stormhoek was the featured drink.

The drinkers in my life definitely dug the taste and the screw-off top - what ease of use! - a hell of a lot. More than most other wines I've seen them imbibe.

Posted by: Jay at August 9, 2006 1:31 PM

Brilliant!

Posted by: Steve Bates at August 9, 2006 11:34 PM

They say that the blind have acute sense of hearing, i.e. that the other senses are heightened by absence of one.
Therefore it is entirely possible that non-drinkers will find the smell, and colour of Stormhoek to be alluring in themselves.
Perhaps non-drinker wine-'tasters' would evolve with larger noses...

Posted by: Paul Jardine at August 11, 2006 5:57 AM