The Napa Valley wine industry has institutional barriers to the expansion of the wine consumption demographic dynamic: 1) tastings by appointment that inhibit spur-of-the-moment decisions to go wine tasting by young people. 2. Excessive tasting fees that exclude young people from exploring the wine tasting experience. 3) Corporate-sized wine tasting facilities with hundreds of pre-poured glasses of wine that dampen the personal wine tasting memory. 4) Wine and food pairing at prices that are astronomical for potential younger tasters. 5) The prohibition of wine tasting at small production vineyards that personalize the wine tasting experience that are memorable and worth sharing with other people in the dame age demographic. 6) Massive crowds of tasters that inhibit the personal memory of the wine tasting experience. 7) Stunningly excessive hotel rates that limit guest to the older age demographic with disposable income.
The Save-the-Family Farm organization (comprised primarily of small growth vineyards without wine production facilities who have their grapes custom-crushed and bottled), encountered stiff opposition from the corporate wine establishment, and was forced to struggled mightily to get a micro-winery ordinance passed for small growers containing structural and financial barriers that have resulted in only an isolated few obtaining a micro-winery permit that allowed tastings at their vineyards.
Young people revere personal experiences they can readily share with their peers which can exponentially result in the education of new generations of wine lovers. Napa Valley needs to embrace entry-level tastings at small vineyards to ensure its livlihood in the future.
Good points, John. I know health concerns are also contributing to the downward trend in alcohol consumption, particularly amongst the aging demographic that represents the largest consumer base. Napa Valley particularly suffers from a "we only market to the 1%-ers" strategy of ever increasing prices as you mention. When a delicious cocktail at a restaurant is $18, and the least expensive glass of wine starts at $22, I fear that many patrons will opt for the cocktail. Should be a wake-up call, but I fear it is like the lobster put into the pot...
De gustibus non est disputandum. Over time, tastes evolve, and you can't fight it. (See: architecture, clothing, automobiles, drugs, baby names, sex, literature, food, politics, and just about everything else.) Changing tastes and new medical information are not connected, and they don't constitute "prohibition," at least in the moral or legal sense. Younger drinkers may just be tired of sweet high-alcohol trophy wines, or they seek new flavors and better suitability. While older drinkers like me ("Okay, Boomer") long for the times of the 1970 Pauillacs and 1994 Napa Cabernets, our days of sharing a bottle with a friend are over. If we want to keep our wits, we drink less and less frequently. That's not prohibition, just good health. As for the market, it's been atomized, with so many small, competing brands that very few can get a reliable foothold. Meanwhile many of the larger, established wineries are being gobbled up (and often flipped) by corporations or investors. You sometimes hear people call these outfits "industrial" or "factory." But that's not it. Even a little cellar is a factory (a workshop) and uses industry. What's missing is heart and soul.
I was a winemaker for forty years. We had our slumps and our struggles, but the curve always favored up. It's harder now. I wish today's makers well.
I think people with no education in viticulture or making and marketing wines will stop going into the business as an investment. When profit is not high enough the romance will be over
The Napa Valley wine industry has institutional barriers to the expansion of the wine consumption demographic dynamic: 1) tastings by appointment that inhibit spur-of-the-moment decisions to go wine tasting by young people. 2. Excessive tasting fees that exclude young people from exploring the wine tasting experience. 3) Corporate-sized wine tasting facilities with hundreds of pre-poured glasses of wine that dampen the personal wine tasting memory. 4) Wine and food pairing at prices that are astronomical for potential younger tasters. 5) The prohibition of wine tasting at small production vineyards that personalize the wine tasting experience that are memorable and worth sharing with other people in the dame age demographic. 6) Massive crowds of tasters that inhibit the personal memory of the wine tasting experience. 7) Stunningly excessive hotel rates that limit guest to the older age demographic with disposable income.
The Save-the-Family Farm organization (comprised primarily of small growth vineyards without wine production facilities who have their grapes custom-crushed and bottled), encountered stiff opposition from the corporate wine establishment, and was forced to struggled mightily to get a micro-winery ordinance passed for small growers containing structural and financial barriers that have resulted in only an isolated few obtaining a micro-winery permit that allowed tastings at their vineyards.
Young people revere personal experiences they can readily share with their peers which can exponentially result in the education of new generations of wine lovers. Napa Valley needs to embrace entry-level tastings at small vineyards to ensure its livlihood in the future.
Downsize and personalize.
John D. Murphy
Preserve Lodi Lane
Sang-Froid Vineyards
AVA St. Helena
Thank you for this detailed comment. We appreciate the insight and will likely follow up for further discussion.
Yes. Thank you. All of your points hit home for me. I can’t wait to see what NVF comes up with as they research you good points.
Good points, John. I know health concerns are also contributing to the downward trend in alcohol consumption, particularly amongst the aging demographic that represents the largest consumer base. Napa Valley particularly suffers from a "we only market to the 1%-ers" strategy of ever increasing prices as you mention. When a delicious cocktail at a restaurant is $18, and the least expensive glass of wine starts at $22, I fear that many patrons will opt for the cocktail. Should be a wake-up call, but I fear it is like the lobster put into the pot...
De gustibus non est disputandum. Over time, tastes evolve, and you can't fight it. (See: architecture, clothing, automobiles, drugs, baby names, sex, literature, food, politics, and just about everything else.) Changing tastes and new medical information are not connected, and they don't constitute "prohibition," at least in the moral or legal sense. Younger drinkers may just be tired of sweet high-alcohol trophy wines, or they seek new flavors and better suitability. While older drinkers like me ("Okay, Boomer") long for the times of the 1970 Pauillacs and 1994 Napa Cabernets, our days of sharing a bottle with a friend are over. If we want to keep our wits, we drink less and less frequently. That's not prohibition, just good health. As for the market, it's been atomized, with so many small, competing brands that very few can get a reliable foothold. Meanwhile many of the larger, established wineries are being gobbled up (and often flipped) by corporations or investors. You sometimes hear people call these outfits "industrial" or "factory." But that's not it. Even a little cellar is a factory (a workshop) and uses industry. What's missing is heart and soul.
I was a winemaker for forty years. We had our slumps and our struggles, but the curve always favored up. It's harder now. I wish today's makers well.
Jack Stuart
Saint Helena
I think people with no education in viticulture or making and marketing wines will stop going into the business as an investment. When profit is not high enough the romance will be over
Interesting hypothesis. Thank you for sharing.