Decanter.com reported yesterday that Vinexpo CEO, Robert Beynat stated, “the Internet is not the right medium for the sale of wines and spirits.” I do much of my shopping on the Internet so I found this comment interesting. It brought back memories of something stupid I once said about a Commodore 64. I said that my Commodore 64 would be the only computer that I would ever need. At the time I was quite impressed. It had a color monitor and took cartridges. What more could someone want from a computer?

That was back in the days that Telnet was just beginning and I wasn’t much of a visionary. Twelve computers later I’ve learned that the future is just around the corner and when it comes to computers a generation is measured in months not years. The Internet has also evolved and buying wine is just as practical as traveling to the local wine shop (assuming the state where you live allows consumers to buy wine and have it shipped to one’s home).

Perhaps Beynat’s comment also lacks vision. Wineries need to decide if they want to use the Internet as a medium for wine sales. This thought also reminds me of a statement from the past. A principal that I worked for once said that we had a choice. We could be in front of change and lead, or be behind change and get pulled along.

What do you think? Would you buy wine from an Internet site?