---
title: "Oh yeah - Stormhoek Syrah doesn't suck. Can wine be long tail?"
date: 2005-11-02T19:53:27Z
modified: 2005-11-02T19:53:27Z
permalink: "https://redmonk.com/jgovernor/oh-yeah-stormhoek-syrah-doesnt-suck-can-wine-be-long-tail/"
type: post
status: publish
excerpt: ""
wpid: 382
categories:
  - Uncategorized
timestamp: 2005-11-02T19:53:27Z
tags:
  - Uncategorized
---

Having been [none too impressed](http://www.redmonk.com/jgovernor/archives/000889.html) with the Stormhoek Sauvignon Blanc, it seems only fair to say that when I met the guys (Nick and Jason) from Orbital for a drink with [Johnnie Moore](http://www.johnniemoore.com/blog/) and [Adrian Trenholm](http://www.trenholm.co.uk/) at my favourite restaurant in London, [Saint John’s Bread and Wine](http://www.stjohnbreadandwine.com/history.cfm), they put forward a red that worked for me.

Stormhoek Syrah is not too new worldy, which is what i like about it. It has a pleasing lack of upfront fruit, its not like having berries stuffed in your face by a drunken friend. It has a reasonable length of flavour. I would buy it. I agree about the [black pepper and plums](http://www.stormhoek.com/archives/2005/10/varietal_the_sp.php).

Indeed I asked my local off license to stock it, but no luck.

I wonder if Stormhoek can succeed beyond the supermarkets and monopoly off license suppliers and huge [conplonkerates](http://www.cbrands.com/index.jsp?link=pressroom/companysummaries.htm)?

Why else am I posting about wine on this blog? Mostly because yesterday’s [metaphor of software as wine](http://www.redmonk.com/jgovernor/archives/001062.html) (the “good enough”) seems to be getting more attention for its discussion of wine, than software. c’est la vie.

Stormhoek has an [A-list flogger](http://www.gapingvoid.com/Moveable_Type/archives/002005.html) on its side but the real challenge will be getting the wine in front of people that want to drink it. The problem will be distribution, and unlike digital products, wine will always incur shipping costs, and associated taxes.

Wine can be long tail in terms of its longevity as a product that people want but it surely can’t break the distribution shackles, controlled by dominant suppliers and licensing laws.

Or can it? Maybe Hugh and the boys should take the next step and introduce a channel model, with bloggers as distributors. Of course that would entail the breaking of various laws, but it would be a major step forward for the socialisation of wine. You want some Stormhoek? Find a supplier near you…. I would happily hold a case for people in the Dalston area, as long as I got to drink one bottle for my trouble. And I could meet others in the “Stormhoek community”. Again – this is just a thought experiment because of legal issues.

Maybe I can just get Sainbury to stock it. I guess this is a job for [173 Drury Lane](http://173drurylane.typepad.com/).