What makes a great cellar door?

 Research from a cellar door study by University of South Australia’s school of marketing in 2014 confirmed the nature and extent of the cellar door visitors’ buying behaviour at the cellar door affected the likelihood of them buying the brand in future. The study found visitors to wine regions stay in the area for very short periods – 37.8 percent are only on day trips. For the 47.1 percent who did stay in the region, the mean stay was 2.78 nights. This creates a very narrow opportunity for each winery visited to make an impression. Furthermore, 59 percent of people made the decision to visit a cellar door less than 24 hours prior. 

“The first-time versus repeat visitor dynamic is one of the most important in wine tourism,” the study found. “Converting first-time to repeat visitors who are highly involved with the brand should therefore be one of the most important objectives of the winery’s wine tourism strategy.” 

Every cellar door visitor must leave knowing where your wine can be purchased, the study advised. 

“People who visit the cellar present a unique (perhaps even once-off) opportunity for staff to ensure that they know exactly where the winery’s wines are obtainable from, at a nearest point to their permanent place of residence.”

Cellar doors shouldn’t be about selling on the spot, says Valley Neale of Brightwater Vineyards in Upper Moutere. Brightwater gained a 100 percent rating in the 2013 Nelson Cellar Door Customer Experience Competition, run by the Nelson Winegrowers Association. “The goal of cellar doors should be creating an experience around your wine, so whenever someone sees it elsewhere in the future they’ll buy it because they remember their last experience.” 

In the lead up to Labour Day each year, the Hawke’s Bay also runs a cellar door competition, organised as part of the Hawke’s Bay A&P Bayleys Wine Awards. Event organiser Hillary Riches believes a good cellar door requires good people at the helm. “It’s not about cellar doors having a great garden, or the best looking building, it’s about the people inside the cellar door and how helpful they are,” she says.  

2013 winner of the Hawke’s Bay cellar door competition was Selini Estate. “Our cellar door model is based around making everybody who comes in feel like family,” says Anne Boulstead, Sileni’s retail manager. “We learn where they’re from, what they do, and importantly, what their tastes are. Every person needs to be made to feel special, and that means acknowledging each of them when they walk through the door, no matter how busy you are.” 

Announced on 21 October was the 2014 winner, Junction Wines. Judges said that integral to the winning experience was how welcoming their cellar door is, and how well those on the door knew their wines. “We keep the wine knowledge humorous and adapt it based on who the visitor is,” says Jo Ashworth of Junction Wines. “We don’t go into PH levels or anything... unless of course somebody asks!” 

A non-judgemental approach to visitors is essential in running a successful cellar door. “I ask people if the wine is either ‘yummy’ or ‘yucky’ to them, and don’t mind either way because its about their personal tastes,” says Ashworth. 

Brightwater’s Valley Neale adds: “Many people are afraid to admit at a cellar door that they only like sweet wines. It is important to ask if your wines are to their taste, and accept if they’re not.” 

It is advised not to tell a  customer, ‘you’ll like this one’, Neale says, as a cellar door operator should not make assumptions. “Let them taste for themselves, don’t use any technical wine jargon to intimidate them, and take their feedback on board.”

Knowing your own wines, however, is not all that makes an ideal cellar door experience. Both Nelson and Hawke’s Bay competitions test cellar door operators on their knowledge of other wineries, other hospitality options, and features in their region. 

“Extremely important in the cellar door experience is recommending other wineries close by,” says Selini’s Anne Boulstead. “I keep maps to give to people with all the other wineries marked out on them, so they get a real taste of the whole region.” 

Valley Neale says knowing her region well was a contributor to Brightwater’s 100 percent cellar door rating.  “Our philosophy is creating a holistic experience of Nelson,” she says. “I have copies of menus from many restaurants to recommend, and I offer to make lunch or dinner bookings for people. You need to be able to answer all questions about your region – where to go for the best things in the area – as you’re not just representing yourself at your cellar door.” 

Staffing, thus, is integral in creating a successful cellar door experience. Junction Wines’s cellar door is operated only by the owners Jo and John Ashworth, and their son Leith, the winemaker. They believe the best cellar door experiences come from having owners and winemakers providing the tasting experience. Brightwater, too, doesn’t have any temporary or transient staff on its cellar door; just the winery owners or the winemaker. 

“The best cellar door hosts are those who can explain the vintage and the process of winemaking because they were there, and they’re speaking from their own passion and experience,” Valley Neale explains. “If you’ve got someone at your cellar door who isn’t passionate, the customer can feel it.” 

Uniformly, all cellar door operators believe being a “people person” is essential in creating a good cellar door experience. “As with all retail, a cellar door requires people to be at their best at all times, no matter their mood,” says Hillary Riches. 

“You’ve got to take an exceptional liking to customers!” adds Selini’s Anne Boulstead. “If you’re feeling comfortable and at ease, they’ll feel the same.”