What Does the Wine Industry Actually Need Right Now? 9 Experts Weigh In.

The wine industry has taken more than its fair share of hard knocks lately. Every day brings another bout of bad news. On Feb. 1, President Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico, kicking off a frenzy of further announcements, postponements, and much uncertainty, on a global scale. The World Health Organization decreed in 2023 that no amount of alcohol is safe, and the public is continually fed a media diet of health warnings. According to the Organization of Wines and Vines, wine consumption in 2023 reached its lowest volume levels since 1961. On top of these issues, wine is competing against cannabis and other beverages, a penchant for socializing online instead of in real life, and GLP-1 drugs, which quell interest in imbibing. Together, this contributes to an oversupply of fruit, causing growers to leave grapes behind, rip up vineyards, or close up shop altogether.

Optimists say wine confidence has always ebbed and flowed, and the industry is historically cyclical. Technological advancements in the 1970s led to overproduction that outpaced demand. The luxury wine sector took a hit after the 2008 financial crisis. Each time, the industry course-corrected; a downturn is the starting point for upward velocity.

But this time around, it feels like the confluence of factors is wreaking major havoc. What if these are true systemic changes to our collective wine-drinking society?

It seems like every wine professional — from producers and importers to sommeliers and writers — has an opinion on what the industry’s next step forward should be. In different corners of the internet people might find statements like “wine needs more gatekeepers” while others insist on increased accessibility and educational efforts. But what can the industry actually do to squeeze its way out of this slump? VinePair spoke with nine of wine’s most tapped-in and creative minds for their take on what actions we can take to help the industry regain its footing.

Jon Bonné

Author, “The New French Wine”; managing editor, Resy

Quite simply, wine needs to be fun again. I think we all forget this, because fun doesn’t offer magnitude or importance, and fun doesn’t reflect the incredibly hard work of viticulture and elevage, and fun implies that wine just isn’t that serious. And you know what, that’s OK. The last thing we need these days are more self-serious labels that want to convince us just how f*cking important they are. We played that game. It didn’t work.

Now, there are some things that “fun” doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean creating corporate swill, throwing decent farming standards out the window, or letting a quirky label and some junior-varsity marketing rule the day. Quite the opposite. If you look at how natural wine, as it were, has succeeded, it’s because people with deep convictions about wine, and deep beliefs in terroir and quality, also decided not to take themselves too seriously. Wine can be both earnest and fun — in fact, I’d argue the energy in wine, which is mostly on-premise drinking by Gen Z and younger millennials, is almost entirely baked around that. It’s not that they’re drinking less — or, if they are, give it a year or two, and 7,000 years of human history will kick in and they will be soothing their stress with a glass at the end of the day. It’s not that NA, cocktails, kombucha, tea, yoga, or what-f*cking-ever have taken its place. The current boom in not-that-serious but also earnest, casual, aesthetically calibrated wine bars is extraordinary. People are going out and drinking wine and… omfg, having fun!

Candidly, the fact we all could be so distracted from this — by scores, by sommelier egos, by collectors, by all the things that conspired to make wine a conspicuous luxury — is, I think, simply a reflection of the growing pains of a culture that needed time to stop making wine more than it is.

What’s hilarious to me is that so many things I caught so much sh*t for championing 12 or 15 years ago are now the coin of the realm in terms of what people want to drink. Everyone who b*tched about “Italifornian” white wines and Teroldego can go buy Dan Petroski a beer.

Dan Petroski

Winemaker, Massican

Here’s why I am excited about the potential for my home and my wine industry in Napa and Sonoma. The AI movement is having a massive impact, generating significant wealth for a new segment and generation of the Bay Area working population. We saw this phenomenon once before with the launch of the internet and social media (Google, Facebook, Twitter). That wealth surge in the early 2000s directly correlated with a boom in wine country: Visitation doubled before the pandemic, leading to an increase in vineyard plantings, new wineries, and overall economic prosperity. While the industry has taken a step back recently, I am convinced that the next wave of powerful, influential products and services coming out of Silicon Valley will bring a new generation of consumers right along with it.

Shannon Saulsbury

Wine and sake program manager, Flagship Restaurant Group

There is not enough wine representation in popular culture and media. I want to be able to turn on more television shows and watch more films where friends and family are enjoying a bottle of fine wine. I don’t think Gen Z is thinking about wine enough because they don’t see people like them drinking enough wine, especially in the forms of media they are consuming. Whoever put a glass of orange wine in Charlie XCX’s hand at her wedding after-party should be given a James Beard Award. We need more moments like that.

In the same vein — I could see a lot of traditionalists hating me for this — but the celebrity chef culture that characterized much of the early 2000s did amazing things for garnering the public’s interest in fine dining, elevated ingredients, and gastronomy. Terms, flavors, and culinary ingredients once considered esoteric suddenly became household names. People became interested in the knowledge and the nerdiness. The wine world can be kind of challenging when it comes to process and terminology, so igniting that nerdy level of public interest might be key to getting more genuine interest in wine. We probably just need the producers of “Chef’s Table” to get out into wine country and make some magic happen. Further, TikTok and social media are increasingly important forms of marketing, educating, and trendsetting. We need to invest more in that.

I have read so many caustically neurotic articles in the past weeks and months that paint a picture of the wine industry dramatically reclining on a divan, asking the questions of ‘What’s wrong with me?’ ‘Is this the end?’ ‘Does it get better?’ And part of me wishes I could pick up the wine industry, shake it by the shoulders, and scream, ‘Yes it does!’ The times are scary and oppressive right now, sure. But where is the rally cry? Where is the mobilization? What the wine world needs right now, in my opinion, is a change of perspective.

Audra Chapman

Proprietor, Newfound Wines; media relations and marketing manager, Trig Collective

People want a reason to believe. They want to feel a true connection to what they are purchasing, and we must give that to them. We are selling a beverage that, in its beautiful essence, is the result of so many intentional and value-led decisions. These decisions reflect who the farmer, winemaker, and winery owner are at their core, or at least they should.

We need to create accessible and engaging ways to share our stories and reveal the unwavering convictions of the individuals, the teams, and the dedication and soulfulness behind what is being created. This is how we cultivate ambassadors and how we bring more people to wine.

It’s not groundbreaking, but I think it’s so important to have conviction about what you’re doing and, in turn, to share it and welcome people into the fold. If we can give people a genuine sense of who they’re supporting when they choose a bottle, we give them something much deeper than a drink — we give them belonging and connection.

Tom Wark

Executive director, National Association of Wine Retailers; editor, The Spill and Fermentation

I believe that the single most important thing the industry can do to give wine a real lift is to repeal the most regressive wine regulations. Specifically, the widespread ban on producers selling directly to retailers and retailers buying from producers needs to be lifted. Second, retailer interstate shipping bans need to be lifted, and wineries need fewer restrictions on direct shipping and less expensive compliance requirements. By reforming the three-tier systems in these ways, you help free up both wineries and retailers to market in more creative ways, and you give consumers easier and better access to the wines they want and the wines they didn’t know they wanted.

As for ‘The Industry’: The industry includes wholesalers. None of them would support these recommendations and would, in fact, spend millions of dollars to stop them from being implemented. America’s most progressive fine wine retailers would all support these reforms, but the average retailer licensee would oppose them. It is unlikely that powerful trade organizations like the California Wine Institute would support these reforms. The largest producers in the U.S. would likely oppose these reforms. Yet all these entities are part of ‘The Industry.’

Daniel Johnnes

Founder La Paulée, La Fête du Champagne, La Tablée, Pressoir, and wine director at The Dinex Group

It’s easy to say the wine industry is having its struggles at this time. It is, yet is this industry different from any other facing its own challenges? There is a great deal of uncertainty everywhere we turn, but rather than focus on the difficulties, we would be better off thinking about the opportunities before us. The wine world has never been better connected, thanks to the internet and the various platforms available for communication.

Imagination, flexibility, energy, passion, and a strong sense of hospitality are the tools one needs to develop and use to navigate the complexities and challenges of a quickly evolving milieu. It’s easy to succumb to the pressure of trends such as NA drinks and cocktails or the harsh reality of wine costs skyrocketing, but if one is sincerely interested in wine as a beverage and as a complement to a lifestyle, we have never seen a better time. Now is the best time to break from the herd mentality.

We need to trust our own palates and experiment. Like any craft, finding a mentor is essential, whether it be a sommelier, a retailer, a blogger, or a trusted friend. We need more entry-level, unintimidating, and fun opportunities to introduce the pleasures of wine to a young clientele looking to make connections among peers and hopefully fall in love with this magical beverage.

Marie Cheslik

Author “How to Read a Wine Label”; founder, Slik Wines

My thought on this topic has always been the same: Professionals need to meet consumers where they’re at. People say this a lot, but listen, that might mean you have to enthusiastically talk about Sangria or Barefoot Moscato because statistically, that is what most Americans drink. (Barefoot sponsored the Super Bowl!) Don’t hate on commercial wines; see them as an opportunity. If you’re going to communicate about wine with people, don’t be precious and say, “Well, I don’t even know what they put in it.” Or, “I don’t know who the winemaker is.” We need to cut that sh*t out right now and get along as professionals.

As a nurse, I don’t always like how my co-workers go about patient care or how doctors communicate with patients, but I understand that we are all working as a team in the hospital, and we have all had training to be there. Wine professionals need to apply the same perspective so that people don’t think wine is a scam or that people get “tricked” into buying something. Wine can have personal meaning. Like for me, I see it as a beautiful collaboration of humanity and nature, the ability to create something, share it, and be joyful in it. I recognize that most Americans don’t give AF about that.

Talk about Barefoot Moscato, enjoy talking about Barefoot Moscato, and then find opportunities to say, “Have you tried Moscato d’Asti“? That’s my two cents.

Pascaline Lepeltier

Beverage director, Chambers

I’m going to kind of disappoint you, but, for me, it’s not about new ideas. It’s about just doing the job well. We really try to understand what the guests want and offer a service that will justify the expense of trusting us with the beverage selections. We try to cater to a wide breadth of consumers, offer reasonable pricing, and deliver service by listening and caring. We need to do the job we were trained for.

Covid was hard for many reasons. A lot of people left restaurants, especially in markets like New York, with an extensive amount of expertise and experience. People came back to New York — and we have a lot of new talent — but maybe some of the experience got lost. We have a lot of passionate people, but some who may not have the expertise to know exactly how to listen to the customer. You forget how much the job goes beyond just knowing the list.

One thing I’ve been thinking a lot about is not telling the guest what they should drink. It’s about understanding their mental space and their budget. Instead of saying, “You have to drink that,” it’s offering a choice. It’s a dialogue, reading them, and really making them feel understood. That makes the experience in restaurants different and valuable for people.

Dr. Liz Thach

President, Wine Market Council

If I could raise a wand and make a wish for the wine industry, I really wish that one of the large companies, or even better, several working in collaboration, could create an on-ramp wine that would bring wine back into the mainstream again for the everyday. All of our research at the Wine Market Council shows that wine still firmly claims a place in fine dining and for special occasions. We just did a big research project on the “wine hesitant,” or those who drink a little bit but not much. And over and over and over, we just heard: “Wine doesn’t have a place in my life.”

The product should be perceived as sophisticated, cool, and new; would be found in every place that White Claw and High Noon are; and fun to drink at parties, festivals, and concerts. You could take it on a picnic. It needs to be portable, in a sleek, slim can. It probably needs to have some additives in it, but sophisticated things like basil, açai, or some special kind of berry. It needs to have no sugar added, which most wine doesn’t, but still taste fruity.

If we look at the last three times we’ve had the kind of downturn we’re living in right now, it was this type of wine that brought us through it. In the ‘80s, it was Bartles & Jaymes. In the ‘90s, it was White Zinfandel. And then in the early 2000s, it was “Two Buck Chuck.” It was something that burst on the scene that tasted good, wasn’t too expensive, and that reminded people that wine is in the bottle.

*Statements have been edited for clarity

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