Very few products inspire the passion and enthusiasm that fine wine does among its consumers. Email marketing of wine differs from some of the less fervid product sectors in that the best campaigns seduce and inspire the customer through the romance and allure that only wine can have. Here are five key ideas to make your winery email marketing glow.

1) Segment by Age Group

The Wine Brats organization recently published a survey showing that young wine drinkers prefer Riesling over Chardonnay. Various studies have proven that younger consumers prefer cheaper and sweeter wines and that the pendulum swings to more expensive and drier varietals as they grow older. By correlating your Brix chart with your subscribing age groups, you’ll be able to target your low priced Muscats as well as your more costly Pinot Noirs to the correct demographic.

2) Segment by Geographical Location

According to a survey by Roy Morgan International there are only two states where the consumption of wine reaches the “Very High” level and those are Connecticut and New Jersey. “High” consumption is found in New York, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Illinois, Oregon and Washington. On the other side of the spectrum, West Virginia, Mississippi, Utah and South Dakota report a “Very Low” consumption. Given these statistics, geographic targeting to the higher consumption states is most likely to produce results.

3) Play Winery Trivial Pursuit

As the ongoing popularity of TV game shows such as Jeopardy proves, Americans can never get enough trivia questions. Noah was the first Biblical character to plant a vineyard and produce wine, as told in the ninth chapter of Genesis. Thomas Jefferson built a wine cellar in the basement of the White House and spent nearly 15% of his salary on stocking it with over 20,000 bottles of wine… all European. French law prohibits flying saucers from landing in the Chateauneuf du Pape vineyards (other appellations are okay for UFO landings, though). Pepper your emails with wine trivia to build rapport and engage your consumer.

4) Discount According to Behavior

Rewarding customers based on their click-throughs can be a great way to build loyalty. Analyzing what offers they’ve responded to and paying close attention to the varietals and vintages they prefer will allow you to custom-tailor a set of special discount sales that will be a perfect fit to your consumer’s volitions.

5) Educate Your Consumer

Some of your customers may be able to determine the tannic differences between the north and south slope while others won’t be able to tell the difference between white and red wine with their eyes closed. Providing factual information that can educate the less-sophisticated while entertaining the experts on your list will help to build empathy and concord (not just grape).

The best email marketing is always a conversation, so personalize your messages to captivate your customer and promote their fealty to your brands.