like full-bodied reds?’ and they say, ‘Yes.’ Those are contradictory statements. I think that’s because there’s very little information available.”
On its website, Bright Cellars lets users see aspects, or “tags,” of a particular wine—that it contains notes of cherry, for example. The ultimate effect is to help subscribers—many of whom are part of the millennial generation—become more knowledgeable about wine, as Yau says has happened with craft beer over the past decade.
Yau says that for Bright Cellars, which is also a Gener8tor portfolio company and has been growing its team since going through the accelerator, it’s not about capturing the entire wine market, which he says is $35 billion in the U.S. alone. Consumers who are particularly sensitive to price will continue to buy from stores like Trader Joe’s, he says, or from Amazon or another online retailer.
“We see Bright Cellars as a club that’s able to distill that and create a great educational experience for somebody that is newer to wine,” he says. “Most of our customers come to us via social media. [They] get to learn and interact.”
