Tech-minded wine startups get snobby: They want Millennials

(BizJournals) - Baby Boomers can't dominate the wine market forever, so startups like Uproot Wines are now chasing the Millennial market with a tech-centric and irreverent approach.

The Sideways-esque generation of 40- and 50-something wine snobs may rule the wine market now, but a growing number startups are pursuing the Millennial market with a tech-centric and irreverent approach that is more Ashton Kutcher than Paul Giamatti.

Among them is Uproot Wines, a winemaker and new online-only retailer co-founded by venture capitalist Jay Levy of Zelkova Ventures in New York and former Wall Street financier turned Napa Valley winemaker Greg Scheinfeld, who spent the last seven years learning the craft at Joseph Phelps, Cakebread Cellars and Vineyard 29.

True to its name, Uproot wants to disrupt the traditional wine market, starting with the way its bottles look. Instead of having the name of the varietal, vintage and winery printed on the front of the bottle—or any words for that matter—there are a series of color blocks against a white background with each color representing a different flavor. A color key accompanies each shipment.