The Popular Price Point for Premium Wine Buyers

An interesting thing has been happening to wine sales post-Pandemic. I believe it's mostly a good thing. It has to do with what people seem willing to pay for a bottle of wine, as many are trading up even as inflation is raising prices.

Gallo sells a LOT of this stuff.
If buyers were willing to spend a few
more bucks they'd get a LOT better wine

Like almost any product, market trends are watched by price point. The under $10 segment is taking a dump. The $15 to $25 range is on the increase. This is great as it shows consumers are willing to step up to good wine instead of drinking mediocre wine (see photo above).

So there is good news and there is some bad news. The $25 to $50 wines have taken a slight drop. This is where most premium California wine sits. So why did I call this trend "mostly a good thing" in the opening paragraph? My thinking is once you get someone in the $20 premium wine bracket, they may want to try a $25 or $30 wine.

Above $50 wines are considered the luxury segment. That market has not been hit by a sales drop caused by inflation. During a recession, it's the cheapest wines that do well, under about $15. The high-end wines aren't much affected by recession, any more than they seem to be by inflation.

Through 2021 anything over $10 was increasing in sales, but overall wine sales are slowing now.

So who plays in the $15 to $25 range? A lot of it is from the likes of Kendall Jackson with the K-J label and La Crema, plus Gallo with their many, many brands including Clos du Bois, Franciscan, Frei Brothers, Mark West, and William Hill.

I'm familiar with a number of Sonoma County wines priced in the high $20s, but often discounted in stores. Some of these are Cabernet from Alexander Valley Vyds, Rodney Strong, and Simi. You can find good $20 Zinfandel from Pedroncelli, St. Francis and Seghesio plus several from the Lodi region. You can find quality inexpensive Chardonnay from Chalk Hill and Simi. The average price for Sauvignon Blanc is about $20 so you'll find plenty. Good local sparkling wines can be found in the $20s, my favorite being the non-vintage Brut from Roederer Estate up in Mendocino County.

Pinot Noir is a tougher nut to crack at a reasonable price. Balletto Russian River Valley Pinot retails for $34, but I see it in stores priced in the mid-$20s. Cline and Decoy make a reasonably priced Pinot, but while I'm familiar with those wineries, I'm not with their Pinot. An out-of-state wine I can recommend is the Argyle Willamette Valley Pinot that's priced in the $20s in stores, and they make a lot of it, so it's in many stores.

Quality Russian River Pinot for $22.99
at a local Total Wine