As someone who has come to wine late in life, and late to the industry, the term "Premium", in terms of wine, means precisely nothing in specific to me. I suspect that's true for most consumers who aren't ardent collectors. "Premium" obviously means to imply higher quality, but it's a word that's used in food and beverage in non-precise ways ("Premium ice cream!" "Premium cheese!" "Premium beer!") so that I'm not sure the use of it or not really matters much. At least for me, I can say it definitely does not. I never think it actually has meaning beyond the maker wanting to claim some kind of ill-defined quality.
Absolutely! Spot on in highlighting how diluted and vague the term "premium" has become, not just in wine but across food and beverage more broadly. For many drinkers, especially those newer to wine, "premium" doesn’t map to any tangible experience - it’s just bullshit. In that sense, natural wine’s refusal to use the term might actually feel more honest and approachable, even if the price tag says otherwise (Overnoy, I'm looking at you).
As someone who has come to wine late in life, and late to the industry, the term "Premium", in terms of wine, means precisely nothing in specific to me. I suspect that's true for most consumers who aren't ardent collectors. "Premium" obviously means to imply higher quality, but it's a word that's used in food and beverage in non-precise ways ("Premium ice cream!" "Premium cheese!" "Premium beer!") so that I'm not sure the use of it or not really matters much. At least for me, I can say it definitely does not. I never think it actually has meaning beyond the maker wanting to claim some kind of ill-defined quality.
Absolutely! Spot on in highlighting how diluted and vague the term "premium" has become, not just in wine but across food and beverage more broadly. For many drinkers, especially those newer to wine, "premium" doesn’t map to any tangible experience - it’s just bullshit. In that sense, natural wine’s refusal to use the term might actually feel more honest and approachable, even if the price tag says otherwise (Overnoy, I'm looking at you).