Getting to know Glòria Vallès, wine influencer and Digital Marketing specialist

With a degree in Advertising and Public Relations, her love affair with wine is a story of deep passion. Creator of www.winestyletravel.com, an online magazine for curious minds interested in wine, food and travel, and co-founder of the Can Bonastre Wine Resort, the first Wine Resort in Spain, this Digital Marketing specialist helps companies grow and sell more and better. So her view of the current wine scene is an important one to keep in mind.

- Although you’re not involved in winemaking, you know this world very well because you help wineries talk about their work. Where does your love of wine come from?

From a family tradition, like so many people with a connection to this sector. My grandfather was born in Sant Martí Sarroca, Penedès, and he instilled in us a love for the land, gastronomy and of course wine. My father followed in his footsteps and is a winemaker.


- What is your first memory of wine and who most influenced you in developing this passion?

My first memory is with my grandfather walking through the Penedès vineyards when I was five years old. He took us to the vineyard, we helped him when he worked in the orchard, he showed us his private wine collection, which included Pinot Noir from Burgundy... Even today, when I smell tomatoes, I remember him because he is the one who taught me how to choose good ones.


- 15 years ago it was unthinkable to buy wine online, but today accessibility, variety and convenience have led to the online market growing and growing. In your opinion, do you think this is a phase or is it here to stay?

I think the pandemic has made it clear that there’s no going back from going digital. Working well on branding and digital marketing is essential, although many wineries are still neglecting this important part of their strategy. Ecommerce will evolve and transform, but it definitely isn’t going anywhere. You just need to look at how the sector’s big players like Alibaba, Pindoduo and JD are growing, and the campaigns with big influencers in Asia that luxury brands are capitalising on very well.


- The truth is that if we analyse the large volume of internet searches made with words related to the world of wine, it reveals the great opportunity that wineries have today to connect with their audience. However, recent studies on the digital behaviour of wineries reflect a still extremely poor online presence. Why do you think many wineries haven’t yet jumped on the bandwagon of the digital age?

One of these studies was carried out last year under my direction at EAE Business School, and the conclusions were very clear: digitalisation, as well as being weak due to the companies’ lack of resources, is being incorporated into vineyard management but not in marketing or sales. This is an endemic problem in the wine industry: the focus is on the product, and the consumer focus is completely forgotten.

There is a belief that if a winery makes wine with the consumer in mind, the wine is no longer a quality wine because it has lost its essence and expression of terroir. I think this is a very romantic concept but it’s also absurd, because you can produce the wine that the winemaker or winery owner wants and that expresses the terroir, for example, and also develop a branding and marketing strategy that consumers will find appealing.

Let’s not forget that a large percentage of the wine industry’s turnover comes from sales to non-expert consumers, that wineries continue to sell most to the aging Boomer generation, and that young people are switching from wine to other drinks. Any other sector would be coming up with innovative strategies and deep changes in the way they understand the market, but the wine industry remains largely inactive, although there are some interesting exceptions.

I strongly recommend that winemakers and wine entrepreneurs read the Wine Intelligence and Silicon Valley Bank reports on the evolution of the wine drinker. If there’s no paradigm shift, we’ll face a sales disaster in a few years.


- But nothing is black and white; there are also many wineries doing a good job with their digital presence. What are the strongest aspects of the wineries that have already taken their company digital?

I’m working with several companies in the industry that have realised that a change of approach is needed. The results, which come in the medium and long term, are clear:

    - They build their brand in the digital environment with a good foundation: they develop the ecosystem structure and tell stories that are right for the medium.
    - They generate their own databases, so as not to rely so heavily on algorithms in social networks.
    - They understand who their end consumer is and create content that is of interest to their audiences.
    - They take part in the conversations where a large number of purchasing decisions are made, in the digital environment.
    - They start working more actively and digitally with their importers and distributors, providing them with the necessary tools to make their brand stand out from the rest.

Basically, they work on marketing and communication in a professional way and this always brings very good results.


- Not everyone knows much about wine. Not everyone is able to tell whether a wine is made this way or that way. But what is clear is that the consumer has more and more of a say in what they like and don’t like. Do you think social networks have helped reduce the snobbish vibe that has always surrounded the world of wine and have managed to connect with different types of wine drinkers?

I believe that networks are a communication channel that only works if there is a well-elaborated strategy behind it. The big change comes with User Generated Content (UGC): before, only journalists or communication professionals could create content, and conversations between friends, acquaintances or family members remained in a private sphere. Now those conversations, where a co-worker recommends a restaurant or a friend gives their opinion about a wine, have gone public. This is the change: the reach of personal opinions, which used to just happen on your neighbour’s doorstep, round the Sunday dinner table, or over coffee in the office. If companies knew how to take advantage of UGC, they would certainly notice a significant change in their reach.


- However, it is also true that there is a lot of posturing on social networks. As a digital marketing specialist, do you have any tips to help us find those wine influencers who provide us with quality content and clues to help us identify those who are just smoke and mirrors?  

It all depends on what we each of think of as quality. While for one person quality might be understanding the tasting notes of a wine, for another it may be learning when to open a particular wine, what food to serve it with or what type of guest it will suit best. Each user has to find the profiles that they can identify with and, just like in life itself: if the person on the other side of the screen shows confidence and you like what they talk about, then they’re a good communicator.

That said, for me it would be unthinkable to dance or make a fool of myself on my profile just to make sure I don’t miss out on an IG trend. It’s not the style of communication I want to work with or the type of person I am, so I prioritise being true to myself even though it might mean I miss out on the algorithm’s favour. At @winestyletravel I try to show my authentic self and, most importantly, bring something of value to those who follow me: I recommend wines, restaurants, hotels, destinations, etc. that I think people who identify with me might like.



- For some years now, the wine industry has been wondering how to attract new generations to the world of wine. Many wineries are making wines with a lower alcohol content, more natural ingredients and less headaches. Do you think that if they haven’t managed to win over young people yet, it’s because they haven’t managed to capture their needs and tastes?

I believe that if you want to win them over, you first have to understand these new generations: understand what interests them, what motivates them, what they want to buy and how much they want to spend, etc. This has traditionally been analysed using market research, and more recently with digital marketing and growth techniques, but the wine industry doesn’t make much use of these tools.

- At www.winestyletravel.com, your online magazine, you share experiences relating to travel, food and wine. With more than 25 thousand followers on Instagram, what do you think is the secret of your success?

Authenticity and relatability. I post very little promoted content and just recommend what I really like. I don’t talk about brands, products or services that I don’t like, even if they offer me money to do so. I’m interested in adding value and generating interesting conversations around wine, I'm not interested in fame or gaining an audience no matter the cost.

Social networks are turning society towards individualism and idols, something I personally dislike very much. For me, with followers comes the responsibility to be humble, do our job well, and listen to what others want to contribute. When you listen and let users participate, you end up with much better content and the experience is more satisfying for the whole community.


- In fact, with a glass of wine we can travel without leaving home. Where would you recommend travelling to to discover good wines?

Spain has dozens of destinations where you can find good wines, although the most outstanding ones offer, as well as wines, other cultural, historical, gastronomic, sports and wellbeing events that turn them into the full package. The richness is in the experience, not just in the bottle.

That said, Priorat, Empordà and Penedés in Catalonia, Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Ribera del Duero and La Rioja of course... to name but a few.

Outside Spain: Champagne and Burgundy in France, Sonoma in California, Mendoza in Argentina and Stellenbosch in South Africa.  

- As the Co-founder of the Can Bonastre Wine Resort, the first Wine Resort in Spain, what is the current state of wine tourism? Do you think it’s essential for a winery to offer the visitor experience?

A lot has changed since we started that project in 2007. Now there is a lot on offer and it is becoming more and more professional. I believe wineries do have to offer experiences, which doesn’t always mean that they have to offer visits to the winery.

What needs to be done is to create an augmented product around the real product, which is wine. The augmented product, a marketing classic, includes emotions, expectations, service, etc. Everything that will make the brand appealing and memorable to the consumer.

It is time to leave behind tours through the barrel room and the bottling plant and start offering, as many wineries already do, unique experiences that can be linked to music, art, sports, etc. Every brand will have to find its own thing.

- We know you’re passionate about wine, travel and social media. But, besides these hobbies that you’ve turned into your job, are there any other hobbies you wouldn’t want to give up?

Yoga, although lately it has also become a topic on Instagram. I have been doing it for more than twenty years and it makes me feel great. I also like to read a lot, I recommend the latest Planeta Prize: Lejos de Louisiana (Far from Louisiana), by Luz Gabás. It’s one of those novels that you can’t put down.

- Finally, could you tell us about a wine that has recently caught your attention? Why?

As my friend Ferran Centelles says, memory isn’t always reliable and can alter reality. I’m going to tell you the last ones I remember, but there are likely others that are also exceptional that I can’t remember just now: this week at the Barcelona Wine Week I tasted the ten Qualified Estate Wines of Catalonia, real treasures. I can’t forget any of them because they are all exceptional, but the ones that moved me the most were Coma Blanca from Mas de'n Gil, Mas Edetària Sel·lecció from Edetària, Teixar from Vinyes Domenech, Mas de la Rosa from Vall Llach and Clos Mogador.