‘Tis the most wonderful time of the year; the season to eat, drink and be merry – and what better way to celebrate the festive season than popping open your favourite bottle of wine? If you know your reds from your whites and your grapes from your region, then you likely can’t wait to share your favourite bottles with guests over the festive period – but if you’re still finding your feet in the world of wine and aren’t sure where to start, the pressure to choose the right selection can feel overwhelming.
That’s where new wine service Outpour comes in, aiming to help would-be wine connoisseurs to cut through the noise and bypass the snobbery that often comes with getting your head around quality wines – particularly if you’re a woman.
The forward-thinking, female-founded wine shop and community created by women, for women, offers up an exciting place where all types of wine lovers can come together to experience one of life’s pleasures, without the pretension and fuss, and has been making waves in the industry amongst those who feel that such an idea has been a long time coming.
Building a new type of wine community designed for a different breed of wine lover, it is based on the ethos that everyone should have the right to experience the joy of drinking and learning about wine, and is on a mission to re-shape the industry into something that reflects the dynamism and diversity of our modern world.
“Outpour is a new kind of wine community that aims to increase the enjoyment of wine,” says founder and director Joanne Koukis.
“It’s all about providing that little bit of knowledge to make the whole buying experience nicer, and giving people total confidence that there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ wine.”
80 per cent of wine purchases today are made by women, yet mystifyingly – and somewhat frustratingly – buying, collecting, investing in and tasting wine are all still commonly viewed as ‘men’s pursuits’. The idea for Outpour was born of Joanne’s silent frustration at this, after realising that, when out to dinner or visiting a wine bar, the wine list was almost invariably offered to the man, as was the first taste – with male members of a party automatically assumed to have greater knowledge and know-how surrounding the topic than their female counterparts.
Through unpretentious tasting experiences and personalised wine selections, the new and exciting community, champions a different take on the adage ‘knowledge is power’, and rather than helping people to build knowledge or wine cellars for little other reason than to show off, it aims instead to give people confidence in their own taste and to make their own choices.
A unique space for women to experience the joy of drinking and learning about wine without the intimidation, Outpour offers a variety of wine selections from across the world and makes no-nonsense recommendations based on current likes. Not only that, but it also hosts an exclusive line-up of women-only tasting evenings to help the female wine drinker expand her knowledge and grow in confidence when it comes to selecting and purchasing wines, encouraging guests to talk freely and ask their burning questions with no fear of censure or judgement.
Of course, Joanne and the Outpour team understand that not everyone is interested in delving deeper into the world of wine, nor do they have the time, and that for some, simply laying their hands on some excellent, high quality bottles to drink, that suit their tastes, is enough. So, for those who simply enjoy indulging in a weekend tipple or popping open a bottle or two on a special occasion, the company is on hand to provide customised wine edits that are carefully curated to suit individual tastes – essentially, becoming your personal shopper for wine.
Joanne believes that ordering wine should be like ordering dessert. “Like a fun, kid-in-a-candy-shop experience where customers feel quite literally spoilt for choice, but are given the suggestions and directions they need to make the right selections according to their taste,” she says.
“Too often, the whole experience, whether you’re browsing online, in the supermarket or at a restaurant, can feel completely overwhelming. The label is confusing or the lingo the sommelier is using is baffling, and you fear being judged for making the wrong choice or for the things you like, and don’t like. What should be an enjoyable experience can, at times, leave us feeling deflated, and that bottle of wine can become a burden, taking the enjoyment out of the entire experience.”
Attracting female wine tasters who are passionate about finding the highest quality wines, Outpour makes it a priority to cater to customers’ existing tastes whilst also offering opportunities to try something new. And, for those who would rather handle restocking their wine cellar over to the experts, the wine concierge service does all the hard work for you.
Its curated wine boxes make for the ultimate Christmas gift this festive season, and are perfect for sharing with fellow wine lovers, comprising a mixture of six wines – some classic, some new, and never dull. And, as well as being created for women, by women, Outpour also supports and highlights female wine producers who meet the company’s high ethical and quality standards, empowering all kinds of females at every stage of the process, from vine to glass – so you can rest safe in the knowledge that your Christmas shopping is championing women far and wide in the wine industry, in just the way they deserve.
