Already ten years ago, a piece I published sparked quite a reaction: “Wine = Sex: Enough with performance, long live pleasure!”
I argued that the world of wine needed to free itself from an obsession with scores to reconnect with emotion, slowness, and the very sensuality of shared pleasure. Ten years on, this observation has never felt more pertinent.
Today, the entire luxury universe stands at a crossroads. Whether in cosmetics, haute horlogerie, cigars, or wine, technical performance — be it in molecules, microprocessors, or barrels (notably the new innovation introduced by Champagne Henri Giraud) — impresses, yet does not always move us. One may read that a fifteen-euro serum “outperforms” a hundred and fifty creams, as some articles claim; but to believe that science will one day replace desire would be a fundamental misunderstanding. In luxury, science is but a single link — increasingly sophisticated, certainly, but never the beating heart of seduction.
Is a wine at fifteen euros better than a bottle sold for a hundred? Does an affordable cream erase the prestige of a Dior formula? Experts might debate, but the answer lies elsewhere: in the eyes of the buyer. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. The true art of luxury branding consists precisely in understanding that sensitive soul, speaking to its psychology rather than its reason.
The contemporary client freely navigates between a pharmacy product and an exceptional cream in a prestigious shop, between a “La Vieille Ferme” (the famous delicious ‘Chicken wine’) at the supermarket and a vintage Taittinger Champagne at a restaurant. She alternates according to the moment, according to the mood — but emotion remains the compass. Science explains, performance reassures; but the heart decides. And when the moment of escape comes, that desire for elevation, the power of symbol and narrative reassert their rights.
The great luxury brands know this: they do not merely sell measurable efficacy, but an additional soul, an intimate space where pleasure and prestige intertwine. Their strength lies not in being flawless, but in being desired — in triggering a heartbeat. A reminder that, in our too hurried, too measured lives, there remain moments that escape all logic. Like a grand Haut-Brion wine, a genuine Xerjoff perfume, or a sincere smile: they are not compared, they are felt. In a world saturated with data and comparisons, emotion remains the last territory of the rare — and it is here, again and always, that the future of luxury is played.
Contact Guillaume Jourdan via LinkedIn
