Wine as a Symbol of Status

When Europeans from the Mediterranean started arriving to American territory, they naturally brought with them their customs, and with no shortage of expertise in viticulture (the cultivation of grapes) quickly sought ways to grow vines on the soil.

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Nothing really worked. Here crowned the moment where wine became a symbol of affluence because wine had to be imported. Certainly not everyone could afford the luxury drink and its presence soon became inextricably connected to the idea of exclusiveness. Fast forward hundreds of years later to the industrial revolution, the gap between the rich and the poor became even more prominent. Hostility toward those who could afford the grape's tremendous juice burgeoned, not because they were buying wine but the fact they had more disposable income.

Individuals have the propensity of purchasing sumptuous items not only for their higher quality but to equally emphasize social status. The decision to purchase goods like expensive wine is contingent upon income, marketing influences, social circles and on the socioeconomic framework of a society. Lodged deep in societies with high levels of wealth concentration and high levels of income inequality is the notion of participation in luxury lifestyle crafts being a gateway into exclusive circles and exclusive opportunities. Thus, the willingness to pay for status symbols such as imported fine wines and pedant-status products comes with no real surprise. To retain membership status within these circles, fledgling entrants (new money) and established members must assert their positions by purchasing symbols of power and opulence.

Secret Wine Societies and their Implicitly Entrancing Intrigue:

Has anyone ever told you they have a secret?

Now, I want you to rest your feet up on the couch, ⏤ let's pretend I'm your psychologist ⏤ shut your eyes (should I include an Eyes Wide Shut reference considering the secret society in the film, I'll pass, it would be too gauche) and return to a time where someone asserted that they would keep their secret confidential. How did you feel? Weren't you just bedeviled with intrigue?

Well, the secret of using secrets in consumer psychology rests in its denial of an offering's availability: If customers are told something isn't readily available, their desire increases; when customers want to know something and they're told they can't know about it, they'll likely want to unearth the hidden details. Secret societies function on the core pillar of assemblage is based on a shared desire to preserve a secret; this enables a strong ‘we’ feeling in a community. G. Simmels, a sociologist, describes secret societies as protectors. First, the members shield their doings and ideas from those not part of the society. Second, the members attempt to regulate the outside world's dissemination of information by keeping people ignorant on the topic.

Secret wine societies like the one Mr.Wonderful (Kevin Leary, Canadian Millionaire and Shark on Shark Tank) incessantly mentions is a conspicuous attempt to vindicate his pomposity, refined taste and status. He is a proud member of the La Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin (Brotherhood of the Knights of Tastevin). La Confrérie incepted as a tourism effort, but transmogrified into a place of wine worship and fancy meals. They have waiting lists that can take up to two-years to be checked and potentially approved. Applicants must prove their vast repertoire of wine knowledge and host a dinner that expects them to serve wine from the French cellars. Members fashion themselves in ceremonial robes and must exemplify a love for gastro culture that precedes life itself. Those who are accepted pay an undisclosed initiation fee and onwardly pay around $1,800 in annual membership fees.

The Wine Society, a British wine society, reported in 2007 a *modest* 90,000 active members who in total spent more than £1 million a week on a list made up of 1,000 wines from 20 countries.

This is an effecting marketing and promulgation of the commodified rhetoric of wine as a symbol of power. Members of wine societies in general act as advocates for their preferred vinos and brands. Wine remains an elusive drink for many due to its associated connection to overly complicated rituals and lexicon, while also erroneously thinking that inexpensive wine is bad wine. Far from true. Remember much of the pricing is based on people's willingness to pay grandiose figures.

https://ispot.tv/a/dv

Worth-watching ad on oenoligcal flamboyance and the idea of it being for the few not for the many.

References

Niklas, Britta, and Elkhan Richard Sadik-Zada. “Income Inequality and Status Symbols: The Case of Fine Wine Imports.”Journal of Wine Economics, vol. 14, no. 4, 2019, pp. 365–373., doi:10.1017/jwe.2019.33.

Hall, Daniel, et al. “The Secrets of Secret Societies: The Case of Wine.”Business Horizons, vol. 58, no. 6, Nov. 2015, pp. 651–658.EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2015.07.002.

Grundhauser, Eric. “A Look At Mr. Wonderful's Secret Society for Wine Snobs.” Atlas Obscura, Atlas Obscura, 29 Feb. 2016, www.atlasobscura.com/articles/a-look-at-mr-wonderfuls-secret-society-for-wine-snobs.