I've been drinking and collecting fine wines since the early '80's and my opinion is that wineries have priced themselves out of the market. Craft beers are a good reason too. My friends collect them and I can say that a Goose Island Bourbon Co. beer which is packed with great flavors and sells now for around $14.00 (I have several I paid $9-12 for) for a 16.9 oz. bottle is looking pretty good to me right now.
I liken it to baseball in the 60s, in Baltimore as a kid all games were on TV, they grew a fan base. In the 80s all wine tasting was free, they were growing a fan base. Baseball & wine are in decline because of short sighted greed.
I buy my wine at grocery outlet...$5 or $6 a bottle. Wine is a staple of life, has been for thousands of years. Charging $20 +++ for a bottle of wine is an economic model that simply will not work and most people will just not buy it and it will collect dust on the shelf.
Market HARD the hidden gems of the industry from Portugal, Chile and Argentina, Australia. Because the millenials will be the first generation in history to be poorer than the previous generation, they just don't have the means to buy the good quality wines from France, California or Italy on a regular basis. How do you expect them to splurge on the top fine wines when they turn grey if you didn't build up their wine drinking habits during their mid 20s to 30s? Craft beer, hard liquors like bourbon/whiskys, gin based cocktails and other low calories alcohol drinks are all the rage because they are either cheaper or can last you a very long time compared to a bottle of wine that you have to consume right now and is a lot more expensive than beer. Just the worst of both worlds for this generation drinking habits. On top of that, wine is perceived as a luxury, conservative industry that moves at a glacial pace and doesn't let newcomers easily compared to the craft beer industry where basically anyone with some know how can set up an operation and be profitable in a matter of a few years, the barrier of entry is far lower than with wine imo.
Thank you for the perspective. I think part of the issue is money (as you mentioned) many Millennials won’t have the money until they get into their mid 30s when they are a more established,their the kids are a bit older and they develop a more mature social structure (getting older is inevitable… for the most part). Gen Z are just too young to condescend to drink a perceived “older persons” libation plus they don’t have the $$ yet. The big problem is that California wines are out of control expensive! Caymus is considered a bargain at $75. Wines like Lewis! Silver Oak, PlumpJack, Phelps, Dominus, let alone Opus, have priced themselves to a point where it’s ridiculous or all you can do is buy one in a life time for a special occasion, unless you’re among the 1% who have tons of disposable income. Yes! There are other California wines that are cheaper and taste okay but they could be engineered to taste that way rather than grown naturally. Sorry, heading down a rabbit hole but as a casual collector of good wine, Cali just isn’t my choice anymore. Do I sound a little bitter - yes, I use to go to Napa when it was fun and affordable to explore. Try Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and other country wines… amazing stuff😉
That’s a great point and the wine industry is realizing how the Cannabis industry is cutting into the wine business (especially with the under 35 year old segment).
I've been drinking and collecting fine wines since the early '80's and my opinion is that wineries have priced themselves out of the market. Craft beers are a good reason too. My friends collect them and I can say that a Goose Island Bourbon Co. beer which is packed with great flavors and sells now for around $14.00 (I have several I paid $9-12 for) for a 16.9 oz. bottle is looking pretty good to me right now.
I liken it to baseball in the 60s, in Baltimore as a kid all games were on TV, they grew a fan base.
In the 80s all wine tasting was free, they were growing a fan base.
Baseball & wine are in decline because of short sighted greed.
I buy my wine at grocery outlet...$5 or $6 a bottle. Wine is a staple of life, has been for thousands of years. Charging $20 +++ for a bottle of wine is an economic model that simply will not work and most people will just not buy it and it will collect dust on the shelf.
Market HARD the hidden gems of the industry from Portugal, Chile and Argentina, Australia. Because the millenials will be the first generation in history to be poorer than the previous generation, they just don't have the means to buy the good quality wines from France, California or Italy on a regular basis. How do you expect them to splurge on the top fine wines when they turn grey if you didn't build up their wine drinking habits during their mid 20s to 30s? Craft beer, hard liquors like bourbon/whiskys, gin based cocktails and other low calories alcohol drinks are all the rage because they are either cheaper or can last you a very long time compared to a bottle of wine that you have to consume right now and is a lot more expensive than beer. Just the worst of both worlds for this generation drinking habits. On top of that, wine is perceived as a luxury, conservative industry that moves at a glacial pace and doesn't let newcomers easily compared to the craft beer industry where basically anyone with some know how can set up an operation and be profitable in a matter of a few years, the barrier of entry is far lower than with wine imo.
Thank you for the perspective. I think part of the issue is money (as you mentioned) many Millennials won’t have the money until they get into their mid 30s when they are a more established,their the kids are a bit older and they develop a more mature social structure (getting older is inevitable… for the most part). Gen Z are just too young to condescend to drink a perceived “older persons” libation plus they don’t have the $$ yet. The big problem is that California wines are out of control expensive! Caymus is considered a bargain at $75. Wines like Lewis! Silver Oak, PlumpJack, Phelps, Dominus, let alone Opus, have priced themselves to a point where it’s ridiculous or all you can do is buy one in a life time for a special occasion, unless you’re among the 1% who have tons of disposable income. Yes! There are other California wines that are cheaper and taste okay but they could be engineered to taste that way rather than grown naturally. Sorry, heading down a rabbit hole but as a casual collector of good wine, Cali just isn’t my choice anymore. Do I sound a little bitter - yes, I use to go to Napa when it was fun and affordable to explore. Try Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and other country wines… amazing stuff😉
Even Bordeaux is cheaper than Cali wines.
60 and up oh yeah.
Covid and less drinking at home
The wine market ruined the diversity of the California agriculture. California lost acres of fruit trees to the wine grape.
Well there’s too many grape vines in Cali now so the olive trees and almonds will rebound. Law of supply and demand.
I’m Gen X. Doing my part.
scary from a baby boomer wine collector
younger generation has access to legal marijuana also
That’s a great point and the wine industry is realizing how the Cannabis industry is cutting into the wine business (especially with the under 35 year old segment).
The good news is that Generation Xers are buying wine. They will continue where the Baby Boomers leave off.