Helping the Wine Industry

  Wine consumption is down, and most are citing the cause is the belief that alcohol is bad for you in any quantity. The wine industry is shrinking. What could help right the ship? 

 

  Health concerns mean far fewer people drinking. We already knew wine sales were going to suffer as the population bump of the Boomers aged out, leading to a smaller number of potential wine consumers. 

  For the wine business, this means severe economic pressure. This could lead to innovation, but it is an industry and a consumer-base that doesn't do well with change. That's why we still have 750ml glass bottles and corks, for instance. Introducing screw cap closures on the American public has been a real headache.

  What sort of innovations might help revive sinking sales? There's already a push for low- and no-alcohol wines, plus RTDs (ready-to-drink cocktails and wine). Yes, individual servings, it's about time! You know what smaller selling sizes means? It means wine is more affordable. Wineries won't put all of their wines in cans. A big tannic Cab is not going to work; it has to be wines that don't require aging. 

  Learning how to maintain quality with alcohol reduction in premium wines is the big one. This isn't just a "take the alcohol out before you bottle it" procedure. Alcohol adds a lot to a wine, and the industry has to figure out how to make them taste like "regular" wine. This is the key.

  The mindset for wine bars and tasting rooms can become more accommodating to the non-drinkers; not just letting them sit there and watch their friends drink. One way for winery tasting rooms is to have low- and no-alcoholic wines under their own label, of course. A few wineries offer a flight on N/A cocktails so you can taste along with your friends. This need isn't something new for wineries and bars, as the designated driver has been around for a while.

  Maybe there will bars that serve only non-alcoholic wines and mocktails. Perhaps ahead of its time, there was one in L.A. in 2024. It closed up after eight months. N/A bars may seem a little weird, but so did having a coffee shop on every block a few decades ago.

  It would be great to go to a wine bar or tasting room, get six different premium Pinot Noirs set in front of you, and be able to fully enjoy each while comparing them, and not have to worry about getting home. 

  Quality lower alcohol wines may save the industry; assuming the no alcohol fad becomes permanent.

Maybe a first step is something like this. 
Quality 12% alc wines in smaller, less expensive sizes