The State of Napa Wine Country 🍷: Supply/Demand Challenges & Non Alcoholic Wine Innovation Coming 🥂

[@amylewis7056]

WOW!! Thank you so much for this conversation! This gives me so much hope...I miss the wine! One additional thing for these winemakers to realized, as I'm sure the NA beer makers have learned, we are willing to pay the same price, even more, for these high quality NA options. I know it is a costly process. Any time a see a new brewer come out with an NA option I buy a six pack. Fig Mtn. sells a variety case of NA beers. My new favorite is 8zero5 from Firestone Walker. They're also selling it on tap at the brewery!

[@JoshTheNonAlcoholic]

NA Wine is getting SO much better! New de-alcoholization machines have landed in CA Wine country, and more are on the way, while multiple brands are launching NA Wine portofolios to compliment their alcohol labels. It’s all happening. And yeah, that Zeronimo Austrian Red is AMAZING. And the only great red I’ve found. Although, Sovi’s new Clarksburg, CA (Lodi) Reserve Red is amazing too and just launched about a month ago.

[@charliecrebs1641]

Fun convo indeed! If they only knew that the market share they were losing could be regained with a quality Non-Alcoholic product.

[@wrathofcows]

I think a lot of this has to do with price too. Wineries are pricing themselves out with hikes every year since COVID.

[@charliecrebs1641]

Totally! Why is it that Covid made everyone think raising the prices was going to help?

[@JoshTheNonAlcoholic]

That has been a common sentiment from people we've been talking to as well.

[@alberthan3759]

Lol I was gonna say you guys are out of touch until I realized the name of this channel. It’s pretty clear you’re trying to push a narrative here. Napa is struggling because the cost of wines, overpriced tastings, accommodations, food, and the overall experience is simply out of reach for most Millennials and Gen Z. Our generations value experiences, but the barrier to entry is simply too high. With wines ability to improve in bottle over time, history of producers and its storytelling potential, it should be an easy sell to us. But it’s the confusing nature of wine education and high costs that turn younger people away. The argument that younger generations avoid wine because it’s a “health risk” doesn’t hold up. Gen Z loves to party and take all sorts of recreational drugs esp vaping but then claim wine is bad for them? Look at all the millennials driving the “natural wine” phase, these folks will drink a faulty wine and exclaim how good it is lmao. And natural wine still contains alcohol….

[@JoshTheNonAlcoholic]

You’re not wrong! Gen Z is drinking Natural wines but is drinking less and interested in alternatives to alcohol, more than any generation before. BigAlc is actively pivoting for this and NonAlc is skyrocketing. Everyone knows somebody drinking less, or not at all right now. And us two wine dudes are actively having conversations with the winemakers and the wine industry in wine country, ALL THE TIME. It’s a macro trend and it’s just getting started. We are not anti alcohol or here to demonize alcohol. We are looking forward to more delicious NA choices for adults and BigWine is actively navigating this right now.

[@alberthan3759]

⁠@@JoshTheNonAlcoholicwanna know something funny? I’m probably the only wine drinker/collector out there who actually dislikes the effects of alcohol. My body never responded well to it and I hate not being sober. But I love learning about the history of producers, the regions and the awesome stories. And of course tasting the best of what they make. But as I’ve learned throughout these years, it’s simply not possible to make a wine at the level of the best wines of the world, sans alcohol. But if one day, Rousseau, Allemand, Macdonald can make wines at the same level as they do now without the alcohol, I will be a buyer.

[@charliecrebs1641]

@@alberthan3759I’m right there with you but have decided to hang my hat up and have been sober for over 3 years. My god would I love to consume Macdonald wines. I grew up with Graham. But I simply can’t. My hope is that one day all if not a fair share start making a Non-Alcoholic version of their wines.