The Decline of Wine Is Wine's Own Fault.

Plus a few incredible wine pairings and events!

Cool Wine Things to Mention:

Before I dive into heavier conversations about wine, culture and the industry, let's start with some cool/fun things:

First! I had the pleasure of being a guest on the Hey Amigas Podcast with Val. I've been a fan of her pod for a while now so to be invited to chat about my experience as a Latina in wine and content creation was a pinch me moment!

Second! My first event of the year is here! I'll be celebrating the 10 year anniversary of my friends, IlCaffe, with a SPECIAL Como La Flor & Chismosa wine flight, food by my friend Chef Chris and music by Sof!

If you haven't had a chance to try the wines, now is your chance. I can't wait to pour for you!

Chisme & Wine with Val and the first Mas Vino Event of 2024!!!

The Decline of Wine is Wine’s Own Fault

If you follow wine news, you may have heard that wine is in decline. I found it hard to believe myself since I'm so immersed in it, but I do live in a bit of a wine bubble (part of it being an extension of my job, but also because I live in one of the most buzzing food and wine cities, LA).

Los Angeles, like NYC, SF, Paris, London, Tokyo and Austin (to name a few) are seeing a boom in natural wine bars, shops, eateries, pop ups and parties. However, consumption overall is down according to data.

According to this report, wine production is down globally while consumption is up slightly in the US (in part to the natty wine boom mentioned above?) but down in France (2%) and in Italy (5%) !!

It turns out that things like the war in Ukraine, supply chain issues and higher energy costs have affected the price of wine for consumers; wine prices have increased significantly due to the sharp increase of supplies used (like bottles, labels and boxes). Moderation has also been cited as a consumer trend, where consumers are "choosing to purchase higher quality wine, less often rather than having to downtrade" and would prefer to not drink when going out to save money.

Tiktok creator and sommelier Confidence Uncorked recently posted a viral video where she asked GenZ and Millenial consumers to share why they might be abstaining from wine. She then exported all 28k comments and analyzed the data points. Her findings were interesting and back some of the findings mentioned in the above report.

The biggest trends she tracked were: NA/mocktail culture on the rise, confusion around wine and wine options, legalization of weed, and price point.

I was really nerding out on the data she collected (I LOVE data!) and decided to insert myself into the conversation with my own video and perspective, which also went a little viral.

From a Trend Research perspective, I like to look at WHY things happen and what drives the cultural shift. Taking her findings into account, I concluded that wine's demise is wine culture's own fault.

As I stated in my video, the downshift in wine consumption is a direct result of the last 50+ years of the industry isolating itself from the mass market by perpetuating classism and gatekeeping. From the outside, wine culture has always felt like a secretive, elite society that requires either: access, money, or certification to be a part of. The perception, instigated from within the industry, upholds different versions and levels of snobbery and ultimately isolated the industry from mass markets.

Wine is notoriously awful at marketing to a younger audience. Natural wine has moved the needle slightly when it comes to Millenial and GenZ markets, but not enough to impact the entire industry. I say this in my video and I’ll say it again: if a consumer does not know or understand your product or see themselves in spaces where your market exists, they are less inclined to actually purchase it. Unlike the seltzer or beer market, where you know exactly what you’re going to get, wine is less consistent. Bottles, styles, regions and varietals vary and create consumption— but the wine industry doesn’t follow up with making the basics of wine easy and accessible to understand.

They have actively not invested in acquiring new, younger consumers and spent the last three generations making every day drinkers feel like there were barriers to entry — so naturally the current generation isn’t going to be interested in putting their energy or their dollar toward it.

Another big issue I noticed in the comments of my video: lack of education around “good/real wine” and very shitty, mass produced grocery wine. That sentence alone sounds like the “gatekeeping” I mentioned earlier (and trust me, Tiktok let me know)— but hear me out… American consumers have been taught that wine exists on a very broad spectrum, which includes very expensive, ‘fancy’ bottles of wine to very sugary boxed Franzia, two buck Chuck, and mass produced commercial wines that all taste the same (and not in a good way). This, I believe, is NOT wine. I stand firm in that belief and will not waver!! People who say they don’t like wine are likely drinking wines like these which are stripped of any real character or craftsmanship. If they do like these wines, they are usually very comfortable with the extremely low price point and refuse to spend a couple extra dollars to exit the category and try a “better” wine.

This is where lack of education from the wine industry comes in: The mass market has been taught that mass-produced sugary wine is actually wine, as a way to piggy back off the 80s and 90s wine movements and still make money off of people. Now, years later, you have people who either love or hate this stuff but under the misnomer of: WINE. Now, the wine industry has to fight an uphill battle to untangle both the snobbery and gatekeeping of quality wines, as well as reintroduce and re-educate what wine can actually be to a new generation of people.

Here’s a tip to any wine industry PR people who are reading: tap into wine influencers (and pay them well) to help rebrand the industry. They’re your best bet at reaching people and getting them to listen.

Some people think the natural wine industry is here to disrupt all the things I’ve mentioned above. And maybe there’s an opportunity there for them, but I can tell you that elitism, gatekeeping and snobbery still exist in the natural wine world, just in slightly different formats. And like traditional wine, it comes from within the culture.

I should note that the wine industry itself (namely winemakers, vignerons, distributors) are NOT the ones perpetuating the exclusive ideals of wine--quite the opposite. I have found them to be the most open and excited to share their process and product and often live simple, down to earth lives. In my evaluation (and experience) I find gatekeeping comes from the culture itself: collectors, consumers, and even the occasional sommelier or retail worker.

The bravado of wine is definitely linked to a sense of self importance through knowledge. But if you’re not going to use it constructively, I don’t wanna know about it! They say knowledge is power so use it to help rebuild the wine industry: make people feel seen, meet them where they’re at and encourage them to explore wine more and on their own! Share what an excellent $20 bottle looks or tastes like! Tell people where you buy your favorite wines and what you pair with them! Explain to people what malo, crunchy, or VA means! Encourage them to ask questions! Wine is beautiful and interesting and so much more than what’s in the bottle. Let’s save wine!

If you’re into consumer trends or wine, I highly encourage you to watch Warner’s video with her findings and my video to get a little more insight on the discussion and definitely drop your comments below and discuss with me! I want to hear your thoughts.

What I’m Eating and What I Paired With It:

I’ve been saving this bottle of Czech orange wine for months. Maybe even a year now. Part of me was unsure if I would like it, but also another part of me knew it would be wild and adventurous and required the right moment to savor it.

Apparently that moment occurred during a yard sale I was having at my house. I cracked open the bottle and immediately knew I made a mistake: a random ass yard sale was NOT the moment. I needed to sip and savor and appreciate this glorious wine. It was both savory and fresh; easy drinking but complex.

I ended up taking it to dinner a couple hours later and paired it with a falafel, tahini and rice plate and WOWWWWWWWW. I’ve never had a match more perfect in my life. The wine came to life in a way I’ve never experienced before! It married perfectly with the sumac and oregano of middle eastern cuisine, perfectly cutting the fatty flavors of tahini and fried falafel. Savory and peppery, the most beautiful wine. A week later, I’m still thinking of this pairing and hoping Black Lamb can help me find another bottle somewhere.

• Wine: Petra Bredova - 'Vina Na Slupkach' Rysak 2021

• Notes: smokey, savory: pepper and cedar wood, almonds and a bit of rose.