Is Wine Really in Trouble? What I’m Seeing (and Celebrating Our First Harvest)
I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the state of the wine industry, too...
Hello my fellow wine lovers! This week’s newsletter is coming to you a couple of days late because last Friday was a holiday here in Italy – Ferragosto. Historically, the holiday was established by Emperor Augustus who made August 1st a day of rest after weeks of hard work in the agricultural sector. The Catholic Church decided to move the holiday to August 15th to coincide with the Assumption of Mary and it’s been a national Italian holiday ever since. That means everything is closed and basically every Italian is on vacation or celebrating with friends somewhere that day. Many businesses even close for the whole week, so I wouldn’t recommend traveling in Italy around this time.
We went for a camping adventure with friends during which we disconnected from technology and enjoyed our time in nature. We hit some beaches, but were near Costa Smeralda which is easily Sardinia’s most touristic area. The beaches are stunning, but don’t go in August because they are PACKED! It really diminishes the relaxation factor when you have to get to the beach by 8am to have a chance for parking and to secure your area on the sand.
Anyways, we enjoyed some R&R and found some lesser known beaches that weren’t quite as packed thanks to our friend that’s a local. All this to say, I’m just getting around to writing the weekly newsletter now and it will be short and sweet because…
We are preparing for our first harvest this week!
We’ll be headed to the village where our vineyards are to prep the destemmer, press, bins, tanks, etc. tomorrow evening. Then, we’ll be harvesting the Arvesiniadu, our white variety, on Thursday. We also need to check out how the Cannonau, Bovale, and Monica are progressing while we’re there, but I’m thinking we’ll be harvesting the reds next week.
So, stay tuned for next week’s newsletter where I’ll be sharing more harvest details.
This week, I wanted to simply talk about the state of the wine industry.
If you’ve read the headlines lately, you’ve probably noticed they tend to lean toward doom and gloom: declining wine consumption, younger generations turning away from wine, small producers struggling, and an overall sense that wine’s best days might be behind us.
It’s not easy to see an industry I love painted in such a bleak light. But at the same time, I think the story is more nuanced than the headlines suggest. Yes, there are challenges and some of them are very real, but there are also opportunities for growth, creativity, and reconnection. Sometimes, moments of disruption invite us to rethink the way we engage with wine, and maybe even to reimagine what wine culture can look like moving forward.
What I’ve noticed is that the biggest shifts are happening not just in production, but in consumption. How and why people buy wine is changing. Many drinkers are gravitating toward beverages that feel more casual, more transparent, or more aligned with their values. The old model of chasing prestige labels or collecting wines for status isn’t resonating with everyone anymore. Instead, I find that people want stories. They want authenticity. They want to feel good about what’s in their glass and the people behind it, almost like they want to be part of something bigger.
That’s not bad news. It’s actually a huge opportunity. As wine lovers, we get to be part of this shift. Every time we choose a bottle, we’re casting a vote for the kind of industry we want to see.
Do we support small growers? Explore new regions? Stay curious about unfamiliar grape varieties? Share wines at our tables that spark conversation and connection? These small acts matter more than we realize.
How You Can Support the Future of Wine
If you’ve ever wondered what you can do to be part of the positive side of the story, here are a few simple ways to make a difference with your wine choices:
Seek out small producers. Whether it’s at your local wine shop or through online clubs, try wines from growers who aren’t mass-producing. These bottles often come with rich stories and unique expressions of place.
Buy direct when you can. Ordering straight from a winery or visiting in person means more of your money goes to the people making the wine.
Explore new regions and grapes. Wine is endlessly diverse—branching out not only expands your palate but also helps sustain producers outside the usual “big names.”
Ask questions. Next time you’re in a wine shop, ask the staff what excites them right now. Chances are, you’ll discover something you wouldn’t have picked up otherwise.
Share and talk about wine. Every time you open a bottle with friends or post about it online, you’re spreading awareness and creating connection, both of which keep wine culture alive.
Personally, this is what keeps me hopeful and why I’m building my wine club. I don’t believe wine is “dying.” I believe it’s evolving. And I want to be part of making that evolution a positive one. My goal isn’t to overwhelm people with jargon or pressure them into trends, but to bring back the joy and the sense of discovery. Because at the end of the day, wine isn’t just about what’s in the glass. It’s about the stories, the people, and the shared moments that make it meaningful. In a world of rapidly advancing technology and artificial intelligence, people are craving connection now more than ever. And in my humble opinion, wine has an unmatched way of helping us connect with one another.
So I’d love to hear from you:
What does your wine-buying look like these days?
Do you find yourself sticking to familiar favorites, or branching out?
Do the constant industry headlines influence how you feel about wine, or do they feel disconnected from your actual experience?
Your perspective matters because the power to shape the future of wine is in our hands.
If you’re in need of some inspiration to help you sip different, check out these articles:
Hi Nikki - my comments on your three questions:
(1) My purchases continue to focus on small artisanal Italian producers, primarily from Southern Italy. I will try similar type wineries from other countries on a limited basis France, Spain, Portugal, Lebanon, Georgia.
(2) I order favorites (6 bottles or more) and will try smaller quantities of wines recommended by one of my several importer friends that provide me wines from the areas listed above, or from wine shop owners or from wine clubs.
(3) I tend to ignore headlines from the wine industry that promote products from large commercial producers. I look for news on smaller artisanal producers, which is not as readily available as these producers are not able to "pay to play" like larger producers,
A comment on the wine industry - even with the decline in wine consumption large producers and large wine stores (Total Wine) will be okay as the cost of their wines will be at an acceptable price point for the consumer. Artisanal producers and specialty wine shops that have a niche with a following will continue to thrive. It is the "tweeners" that may struggle. Inventories in the cellars of the "tweeners" are larger than they have been in the past.
Artisanal and small startups need to continue to produce quality wines with an interesting story so that consumers that "graduate" from consuming wines from the large producers will be able to differentiate among alternatives to large producers. As one biodynamic wine producer told me the artisanal producers need to look at consumers of large produced wines as future artisanal wine consumers. She estimates 5% of those that start off consuming large produced wines will "graduate" and be interested in artisanal wines for both increased quality and history of the artisanal producer. In short, the large produced wines serve as a "training" ground for consumers who will later opt for artisanal produced wines.