In this Expert Perspective interview, Chris Bitter, Senior Wine and Grape Analyst at Terrain, discusses California vineyard valuations and the current state of the agricultural real estate market based on the latest Winescape newsletter, "Tangled Vines.
Prime appellations maintain stronger prices due to reputation and secured grape contracts, while marginal vineyards face steep devaluations. With limited transactions and a disconnect between seller expectations and buyer willingness to pay, Chris explains why valuing vineyards is difficult right now. He anticipates further downward pressure over the next 12-18 months before stabilization, but offers growers practical strategies to facilitate sales.
This conversation is essential viewing for vineyard owners and industry professionals navigating California's agricultural real estate market.
Read the Summer 2026: Tangled Vines report:
https://www.terrainag.com/insights/ta...
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https://www.winescape.com/
Event Type: Webinar
Date: 7/23/2026 — 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Come Over October is more than a campaign. It’s a growing movement to reconnect people with what wine has always represented: hospitality, culture, connection, and community.
Join Karen MacNeil, Gino Colangelo, Kimberly Noelle Charles, and leaders from across the wine industry for a conversation about how wineries, distributors, retailers, media companies, and trade organizations are coming together to strengthen wine culture.
Whether you’re discovering Come Over October for the first time or looking to expand your participation, you’ll leave with practical ideas, free resources, and a roadmap for joining the largest grassroots pro-wine movement in the world.
Today's winery and vineyard professionals are rethinking supplier research and finding the trusted partners driving the industry forward
There was a time when finding a new supplier for your winery or vineyard meant waiting for a trade show, asking a neighbor for a recommendation, or thumbing through a printed directory. Referrals and face-to-face introductions still matter - a lot. But if those are the only places you're looking, you're only seeing a fraction of what's available.
Today's supplier landscape is larger, more specialized, and moving faster than ever. New technologies, sustainability solutions, service models, and companies enter the market every year. The suppliers solving the specific problem you're facing right now may not be the ones you already know, and they may not be the ones your neighbor knows either.
The research burden has shifted to buyers
Whether you're evaluating smoke taint detection, labor-efficient trellis systems, DTC compliance software, packaging innovations, or a new tank supplier, most of the meaningful research now happens before the first sales conversation. And it typically falls on you — the buyer — to figure out who's out there, who's credible, and who actually understands the wine industry.
That's not always easy. General web searches highlight companies that market to every industry. LinkedIn is noisy. Vendor lists get stale quickly. And even the strongest referral network can't cover every category you might need help with.
The result is that buyers often spend more time than they'd like just trying to figure out who to talk to — and sometimes miss the right partner entirely because that supplier didn't happen to be at the last trade show they attended.
Wine Industry Network has closed that gap.
A better starting point
The newly relaunched Wine Industry Supplier Network is designed specifically to make the research phase faster, smarter, and more useful for winery and vineyard professionals.
Instead of digging through generic search results, you can:
Search by category or problem, not just brand name - Quickly see who's working in the space you actually care about.
Compare suppliers side by side - Company profiles, product information, news updates, and recent activity are available all in one place.
Evaluate companies actively engaged in the industry - view current articles they publish, the events they participate in, and their year-round engagement with the wine community.
Discover new and niche companies - including smaller, specialized suppliers who may be exactly the right fit for a specific challenge.
The platform is free to use, wine-industry-specific, and built around how you actually work, not how a general search engine assumes you work.
Discovery is now year-round
Trade shows are still valuable; nothing can replace doing business face-to-face, but they represent only a handful of days each year. The richest discovery now happens in the months in between - when a problem shows up on your desk in real-time, and you need to find someone to solve it now.
Start your search on the Supplier Network. You'll find trusted suppliers, proven expertise, and the products and services your business needs — all in one place.
Explore the new platform now!
Event Type: Conference, Webinar
Location: online
Date: 7/29/2026 — 10:00 AM
What will matter most to the wine industry over the next 12 to 18 months? In this special mid-year edition of Bold Predictions, industry leaders will examine the forces shaping the market and share their forecasts for the remainder of 2026 and into 2027. Expect thoughtful insights into the trends, risks, and opportunities likely to define the next chapter for wineries, growers, and suppliers.
Register NOW for free!
Warmer winters, longer growing seasons and shifting vector ranges are changing the disease landscape in California vineyards. Pierce’s Disease pressure has historically been lower in the North Coast, aided in part by cold winter temperatures. Climate trends, however, may alter that risk profile as Pierce’s Disease adapts. Are there opportunities to curtail this trend?
This session will share recent PD/GWSS Board-funded research on Pierce’s Disease ecology and potential control strategies. Growers will leave with a clear understanding of how area-wide programs protect premium vineyards and what today’s research means for vineyard resilience over the next decade.
The Glassy-winged Sharpshooter (GWSS) is an invasive insect that acts as the primary and most aggressive vector for Pierce’s Disease, and resources will be shared in the session for growers to stay updated on the evolving issue of Grapevines sold at Costco which contained GWSS.
Read more about our Growing Forward Series here: https://wineindustryadvisor.com/growingforward
In this WIN Insider episode, George interviews Michael Kaiser, the recently promoted Executive Director of WineAmerica, about the evolving American wine landscape and federal advocacy for wineries outside California. With 20 years at the organization, Michael shares insights on pandemic-driven shifts in direct-to-consumer sales, emerging wine regions gaining recognition, packaging innovation attracting younger consumers, and complex regulatory challenges from hemp-derived beverages to export tariffs. He emphasizes the bipartisan support for wine in Congress, the role of the Congressional Wine Caucus in unified advocacy, and why collective strength through Wine America membership is essential for influencing the federal policy that shapes the industry’s future.
Learn More: https://wineamerica.org/
Event Type: Webinar
Location: online
Date: 6/30/2026 — 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Warmer winters, longer growing seasons and shifting vector ranges are changing the disease landscape in California vineyards. Pierce’s Disease pressure has historically been lower in the North Coast, aided in part by cold winter temperatures. Climate trends, however, may alter that risk profile as Pierce’s Disease adapts. Are there opportunities to curtail this trend?
This session will share recent PD/GWSS Board-funded research on Pierce’s Disease ecology and potential control strategies. Growers will leave with a clear understanding of how area-wide programs protect premium vineyards and what today’s research means for vineyard resilience over the next decade.
The Glassy-winged Sharpshooter (GWSS) is an invasive insect that acts as the primary and most aggressive vector for Pierce’s Disease, and resources will be shared in the session for growers to stay updated on the evolving issue of Grapevines sold at Costco which contained GWSS.
Nominations for the 14th Annual WINnovation Awards presented by the Wine Industry Network opened today.
Wine Industry Network created the WINnovation Awards as a way to identify and honor the most innovative wine industry suppliers and service providers. These awards recognize companies that have developed ground-breaking products, practices, and have contributed to the advancement of the North American wine industry.
Many of the past WINnovation Award winners continue to set the highest standard in their field and push forward innovations that advance the industry for all.
“The WINnovation Awards are a way for us to highlight and celebrate the many innovative industry suppliers and to recognize that their efforts continue to propel the entire industry forward,” said George Christie, President and CEO of Wine Industry Network.
To be considered for a 2026 WINnovation Award, submit a nomination with supporting materials through the North Coast Wine Industry Expo (WIN Expo) website. Entrants must participate in the WIN Expo as exhibitors or sponsors to qualify for consideration or be WIN clients.
The winners of the WINnovation Awards will be presented with the award in connection with the WIN Expo on December 3, 2026, where wine industry professionals will have the opportunity to meet the winners and learn more about their innovations.
Submit your nomination by September 4, 2026.
In this WIN Insider Series episode, George interviews Nick Leonard, Chief Revenue Officer of Concierge Auctions, about their newly launched global wine division. As the wine industry experiences a downturn with properties languishing on the market, Concierge Auctions’ auction model bridges the gap between sellers’ expectations and buyers’ willingness to pay—offering speed, market validation, and price visibility that traditional sales can’t match.
Despite current challenges, Nick remains optimistic about longer-term recovery driven by fresh ideas and new international buyers entering the market. If you’re curious about how auctions are reshaping wine country real estate sales, this conversation offers valuable insights.
Learn more about Concierge Auctions: https://www.conciergeauctions.com/
In this WIN Insider Series interview, George Christie sits down with Sandra DeMaria, Director of Sales & Marketing at Ehlers Estate, for a timely conversation ahead of the 2026 Wine Sales Symposium. Drawing on more than 15 years of experience across the wine supply chain—from restaurants to distribution to DTC—Sandra shares why strategic partnerships are more important than ever in today’s challenging market and how wineries can build relationships that truly drive value.
From identifying the right partners to setting clear goals and measuring success, Sandra breaks down how wineries of any size can create meaningful, mutually beneficial collaborations. If you’re looking for practical insights to strengthen your sales and marketing strategy, this conversation offers a powerful preview of what’s to come at the Symposium—and why partnerships could be your biggest opportunity for growth.
Learn More: www.winesalessymposium.com and use code SANDRA2026 for a discount!