The Concept of a "House Wine"

And why your winery should aim to fill that role for someone

I genuinely believe that every person who loves wine, regardless of whether they are new to it or are long-time enthusiasts, has a wine or winery that serves as their “house wine.”

These are the wines you reach for when folks show up unannounced and what you bring when you’re headed to a friend’s house for dinner. Maybe you recommend this wine to strangers in the grocery store, or it’s just the wine that you have on hand for a random Tuesday when you don’t know what to drink.

(Beer drinkers have this too, by the way. I always know to grab a case of Pizza Port’s Swami’s if I see it on sale, because it’s my husband’s favorite.)

The 2023 FOXEN Chenin Blanc, my friend and I took on a camping trip, because it’s both of our “house wine.” ©Heather Daenitz of Craft & Cluster for FOXEN

I started thinking more about this after my friend Erin, who runs the book-and-wine club Novel Pairings, emailed her subscribers asking what our go-to "house wine" was. I didn’t even have to think about it.

My house wine is FOXEN’s Chenin Blanc. If they were to create a Subscription service (and my husband and friend didn’t already work there, thus giving me nearly unfettered access), I would sign up to receive a few bottles of it every month.

To me, this is exactly the kind of relationship wineries should be striving to build with their customers.

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Why Being Someone’s “House Wine” is The Highest Compliment

Being a restaurant’s “house wine” means that out of all of the amazing wines out there, your winery is trusted the most to provide something that is consistently good.

Being the “house wine” for an individual means that they know exactly what they’re getting, every time, and have had it enough times to feel confident sharing it. They also probably associate it with joy, hospitality, and ease.

For a winery, I feel like becoming someone’s “house wine” is the epitome of customer loyalty. It means you’ve earned a spot in their wine fridge and dare I say, in their hearts (awwwwwwwwww).

You get the privilege of being a part of their celebrations and day-to-day life, which is pretty fucking cool.

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How to Position Your Winery as a House Wine:

Okay, the practical conversation now, because it’s all well and good for us to wax on about the concept of being a house wine, and another thing for us to actually become the house wine.

You can market to this mindset directly in emails, website copy, and especially in social posts. Here are a few places to start:

1. Use the Language.
Instead of saying, “stock up for summer,” say, “Make this your house rosé.” Or
instead of “everyday wine,” say “the wine you always want on hand.” Simple language changes like these allow your community to step into an identity and see your wine as a part of their lifestyle.

2. Build Subscription Models That Reflect This.
Give people the option to get a seasonal “house pack,” like one red, one white, one rosé (or sparkling wine—depending on what you’ve got going on). Or you could lead them to the convenience of a monthly shipment of their favorite wine.

Not everyone wants a curated 12-bottle shipment three times a year. Some people just want to never run out of their wine.

3. Talk About Reliability.
The best house wines are dependably delicious (and often a good value, too). Market your wines as trustworthy. That’s what people are looking for when they choose a house wine.

Side note, I know this may not be something that all wineries can do directly, either because they don’t make the same wine every year (hellooooo Tank Garage) or because they just don’t make enough wine (yet). But I feel like the house wine is sort of what the concept of wine clubs is built on, right? Like, having access to the same wines before everyone else? IDK there’s something there, I’m still noodling on it

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So here’s your challenge: What are you doing to become someone’s house wine?

Are you showing up consistently in their inbox, making reordering easy and/or inviting them to build rituals with your wine?

If not, now’s a great time to start.

Hit reply or drop a comment and tell me what your house wine is. I want to know what wine you always reach for.

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Disclaimer: While I do work with FOXEN on a monthly basis to manage their social media, I was not paid or asked to mention them, or their wines, in this article. Their Chenin Blanc is, quite literally, my house wine. I also haven’t been compensated by Pizza Port to mention or link to Swami’s (though if they want to send me a case, my husband would be really stoked!).

Please know that I will always disclose if I’ve been paid or incentivized to promote something, and I only promote products I know, love, and would genuinely spend my own money on. If you ever have questions about that, feel free to reach out. We’re big on transparency over here.