A sommelier, marketer, teacher and journalist, Marisol de la Fuente’s CV ticks several boxes but it’s her passion for wine and the straightforward, informative way she reaches consumers that saw her make the shortlist of the 2024 Wine Communicator Trophy at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC).
With over a decade’s experience in wine promotion and extensive marketing and media experience, the creator of “El Vino, sin vueltas” has become a leading figure on the scene. She has over 150,000 followers on social networks, a podcast, a book, and regularly appears on radio and television programs to share everything she knows about the national drink in a simple, accessible way far removed from the snobbery that dominated the industry for many years.
The IWSC has been held every year since 1969 in London, and brings together leading figures from the wine and spirits industry. The competition is one of the most prestigious in the sector. In addition to honoring the best wines and spirits from across the world (the IWSC features entrants from wineries in over 80 countries), the event also calls attention to notable leaders in the communications industry with the Wine Communicator Trophy.
Following her appearance on the shortlist, Marisol de la Fuente spoke to Wines of Argentina about her communication style, global trends in wine consumption, and opportunities for the Argentine industry, among other topics.
Interview with Marisol de la Fuente
How did the nomination come about?
It was an interesting process. I actually entered the New Communicators category and when I sent the application, they told me that my profile was better suited to the Wine Communicator Trophy, which would be in six months. Just over 60 people from across the world entered and they chose a shortlist for this year. I think that I was named one of the top five partly because of my experience as a communicator and also my background as a sommelier who focuses on TV, radio and social networks.
I also published my book this year, I teach and I’ve been on several juries at national competitions. The feedback I got, which they published on their website in their shortlist profiles, was that all of us are good at bringing together different fields in the world of wine and communicating across different formats.
How would you describe your style of wine promotion?
I have a registered trademark: “El vino sin vueltas” (Wine to the point). One of the things I always have in mind is that my audience likes to drink wine and they like the industry but they aren’t professionals. So, the style I use is to try to simplify as much as possible things we actually know a lot about; complex, technical issues.
The important thing is to be able to pare that down to a simple message, something people can remember, that they can use when they’re at the store or choosing their wine. That’s how I would describe it, just getting to the point; simple, direct and easy to understand for an audience that enjoys wine, but who aren’t experts and have no interest in becoming one.
For a long time, the industry preferred a very different style, and even today it can still sometimes be regarded in that way. Do you think it’s something that needs to change?
Absolutely: I think that’s the path the industry needs to take. It’s happening little by little but it’s hard because there’s the duality between investing in high end, expensive wines, where you obviously need to use a different language, and the more mass market and mid-range wines which reach far more consumers but sometimes don’t get the investment in terms of advertising and promotion.
The wineries are torn too: they’re split between premium wines that need to be promoted as such and more mass-market wines where they want to send a different message without over-simplifying, where sometimes they’re not investing so much. So it’s a dilemma, because perhaps the person who’s spending on exclusivity isn’t looking for simplicity because the aspirational aspect is founded in things being out of reach, the concept of special rites and service.
I think they’re moving in the right direction, trying to find the best way to achieve this. If there’s something that wineries have understood it’s that they need to radically separate the communication of flagship wines from their mass-market wines and establish quite separate lines, but there’s still plenty more to be done because it can be hard to simplify what is actually quite a complex subject. Making things easy to understand can, paradoxically, be quite difficult.
That’s why I think it’s good for communicators to be trained in the industry and for us to see these kinds of profiles in the world of wine because it helps to bring together two worlds: communication and the industry’s expertise. For example, in my case I’m a journalist and have a degree in communication, and a masters in marketing. I come from a completely different world but I brought the two together.
It’s a pathway that’s being opened up but here’s still plenty to do and in fact I’m always talking to the people who run schools and institutions associated with the industry: we need to push a little harder to equip students with communication tools, for instance, those studying to be a sommelier, because I think there’s still a lack of the right expertise.
How do you break down these abstract concepts to make them easily accessible to the general public?
I think that first of all it helps that I come from a different industry, the technology industry, where complex things are always having to be explained in as simple a way as possible. That gave me excellent preparation but I think it’s the training, later you add your own attributes, but communications training is important to effectively simplifying a message. Often you can have excellent technical knowledge and be the top expert in your field but if no one understands what you’re saying you’re missing the link in the chain that connects you to your listener. I think that sometimes communications tools, oratory and the rest, can help to narrow that gap.
Marisol de la Fuente and wine consumption trends in Argentina
We’re seeing a drop in consumption in Argentina and across the world. How do you, in your role, approach persuading consumers to try wine if they haven’t before, or to choose it over other beverages?
I think that the drop in consumption is related most of all to the post-pandemic situation: people are consuming less but trying to consume better, or looking to lower their alcohol intake and adopt healthier habits. I think that the key, when you’re promoting wine, is to consider when it is consumed. What do I mean by that?
The specific moments, a picnic, a gathering of friends, after-office drinks; there are so many different ways to consume wine; in a cocktail, from a can, from a screw-top bottle, you can just have a glass, you don’t need to drink the whole bottle, there are ways to preserve wine once it’s opened … and we need to break down barriers, such as insisting that red meat has to be accompanied by red wine, and so on. These are the kinds of question that consumers ask.
How do you see the future of Argentine wine, from both a consumer and industry point of view?
I think that Argentina is going through a strange economic moment right now but wine will still be a key industry. It’s our national drink, a part of our culture. I think that the appearance of younger consumers is helping to change what had been hard and fast rules and I think that the future can be excellent if the wineries pay attention. It’s good to serve their traditional consumers, but they also need to be ready to meet the needs of newcomers.
I think there’s also quite a lot to be done in terms of communicating to the world what we’re doing in Argentina, because a lot of people only know about Malbec and are surprised to hear about other varieties and approaches. There’s an audience out there eager to try things from Argentina, we need to keep working and talking about everything we do in the country, because there are a lot of opportunities for growth out there.
