By Jim Trezise, President of WineAmerica The National Association of American Wineries™ Romance vs. Reality It’s not surprising that people dream of getting into the wine business. Just think of it: Sunrise caressing the vines. Perfect weather again. A leisurely coffee while surveying the pristine landscape. A morning stroll through exquisitely manicured vineyards. A smoothly functioning wine cellar. A traffic jam of consumers eager to visit the tasting room. Multiple FedEx trucks waiting for wine club shipments. Ending each day counting the hefty stash. Celebrating with a dinner pairing your world-class wines with world-class food on your terrace overlooking paradise. Sleeping like a baby. Yeah, right! After spending their life savings and taking out a massive loan, new winery owners often discover a very different reality. Clouds mean rain when the grapes need to stay dry. Coffee comes from a drive-thru. License applications and tax forms cover the desk. Labor shortages mean critica

In business, longevity doesn’t happen by accident. At Copper Peak Logistics, it’s a 28-year journey of passion, partnership, and purpose in wine logistics. It is built one relationship at a time, through shared challenges, mutual trust, and a commitment to doing the right thing, even when it’s not the easiest path. For Copper Peak Logistics’ Senior Vice President of Operations, Stacey Heuer, and Senior Vice President of Client Services, Merilee Anderson, that philosophy has guided a partnership that now spans more than 28 years. Their story began long before Copper Peak Logistics opened its doors. A Legacy Born in Wine Country Early in their careers, Stacey and Merilee worked together at Viansa Winery, gaining firsthand experience with the unique challenges and opportunities that wineries face every day. They learned quickly that success in the wine industry is about much more than the product itself. Behind every bottle is a team of people managi

The 2026 SVB Direct-to-Consumer Wine Report delivers a message that every winery owner and operator should pay attention to. The headline isn't that visitation is down. Most wineries already know that. The headline isn't that wine club growth has slowed. Most wineries are experiencing that reality as well. The real story is that while the median winery reported no growth, the top-performing quartile of wineries increased revenue by 22%, while the bottom quartile declined by 13%. In other words, wineries are operating in the same market conditions but achieving dramatically different results. So what separates the winners from the rest? The Industry Challenges Remain The report confirms several trends that continue to pressure winery profitability. Direct-to-consumer sales remain the foundation of the premium wine business, accounting for approximately 72% of revenue. Yet the channels driving those sales are under strain. Tasting room visitation continues to decline, reducing opportunit

The wine industry isn’t standing still—and neither were the conversations at this year’s Wine Sales Symposium The mood surrounding the wine industry has shifted noticeably over the past year. Headlines still focus on contraction, slowing sales, declining consumption, and pressure across direct-to-consumer and wholesale channels. But underneath those realities, another story is emerging: wineries are adapting. That theme carried through nearly every session at Wine Industry Network’s 2026 Wine Sales Symposium, where winery owners, marketers, strategists, hospitality leaders, and technology providers gathered to discuss what’s actually changing in wine sales—and where opportunity still exists. The conversations were grounded in realism but notably absent of panic. Speakers focused on the operational, marketing, and consumer shifts wineries are making in response to a rapidly evolving market. And perhaps most importantly, many of the sessions pointed toward the same conclusion: growth ha

🌱 Holistic Soil Health Tailgate | Join the Conversation in the Field 📅 Friday, May 8, 9-11 am at Alta Colina Vineyard & Winery What does soil health look like in practice? Join us in the field where growers, researchers, and industry professionals will come together to share what’s working. You’ll hear from: • Jenny Garley (Bio SI) — using sap sugar levels as a practical indicator of plant and soil health • Stewart Wilson, PhD (Cal Poly) — soil science insights grounded in current research • Mike Costello (Oakville Bluegrass Cooperative) — funding opportunities for cover crops and soil-building practices Plus, a grower panel featuring: • Bob Tillman (Alta Colina Vineyard & Winery) • John Howell (@Booker Vineyards) • Jordan Lonborg (Coastal Vineyard Care Associates) • Steve Vierra (Derby Wine Estates) This is a chance to hear directly from peers, ask questions, and walk away with ideas you can apply. Bring your questions—and your experience! 👉https://secure.qgiv.com/f

Why Wine Clubs Aren’t Working, And What’s Replacing Them For many wineries, the biggest challenge today isn’t attracting new customers; it’s keeping the ones they already have. Wine clubs once represented the most stable revenue engine for wineries. Members signed up, shipments went out quarterly, and predictable revenue flowed in. It was the foundation of direct-to-consumer success. But that foundation is cracking. Recent industry data reveals a troubling trend: nearly 40% of wine club members cancel within the first year. In a market where customer acquisition costs are climbing, and competition for attention has never been fiercer, losing members at this rate isn’t just a retention problem; it’s a profitability crisis. The math is unforgiving. If acquiring a new club member costs hundreds of dollars in marketing, tasting room labor, and incentives, losing them before they’ve generated meaningful lifetime value means wineries are bleeding money with every signup. And yet, some winer

In the film Field of Dreams, a quiet voice whispers a simple promise: “If you build it, he will come.” The idea was never really about baseball. It was about creating something meaningful and trusting that the right people would be drawn to it. The wine industry is standing at a similar crossroads. For decades, wineries have operated on a simple assumption: make great wine, tell a compelling story, and consumers will come. Craft the product. Earn the accolades. Build the brand. But the next generation of wine consumers is telling us something different. Gen Z, now entering legal drinking age and shaping the future of hospitality, is not primarily seeking bottles to collect or scores to chase. Many say they are looking for something more fundamental: connection, community, and places where they can gather with friends away from the constant pull of the digital world. In other words, they are looking for a third space. For winery owners, executives, and Direct-to-Consumer lea

At Copper Peak Logistics, our strength comes not just from the work we do, but from the people who show up every day committed to excellence. This Women’s History Month, we are proud to recognize four women whose leadership has helped shape Copper Peak into the company it is today: Stacey Heuer, Merilee Anderson, Katiria “Kay” Rodriguez, and Heidi Grooms. Together, these four leaders represent 64 years of dedication working for the Lane Family. Their collective experience, leadership styles, and commitment to meaningful relationships have been instrumental in building the culture, standards, and reputation that define Copper Peak. While each of them leads in different areas of the organization, they share a common belief: great logistics isn’t just about moving product. It’s about people, partnerships, and the responsibility of representing our winery partners with care and precision. Leadership Rooted in Experience and Passion Each of these women brings

Ten Ways Wineries Can Evolve From Selling Bottles to Creating Experiences That Resonate With a New Generation. If I told you a winery just opened with no vineyard, no winemaker on staff, and no interest in talking about terroir… would you visit? What if I told you it had a silent disco in the barrel room, a drag brunch series, and a 3-month waitlist for a zero-proof pairing menu? Those wineries exist. And they’re thriving. Because for a new generation of visitors, the wine isn’t the reason—it’s the reward. It’s not about what you pour anymore. It’s about how you make people feel. And we used to excel at this. But then we woke up one day… and it wasn’t working like it used to. The same offers stopped converting. The same messages started falling flat. The same visitors didn’t come back. And it’s not because we got worse at what we do. It’s because the customer changed. What they want. How they behave. Where t

After 30 years of moving up and to the right, the American wine industry hit a wall. Not a temporary slowdown or a soft patch. A structural shift that requires a fundamentally different marketing playbook. 2025 was the reality check. 2026 is the year wineries either adapt or watch their customer base age out beneath them. The data is now unambiguous: wine sales dropped approximately 6% in 2024, marking the steepest decline in decades according to SipSource industry data. More troubling than the headline number is what's driving it. This isn't a recession blip or a bad vintage. It's a fundamental realignment of who drinks wine, how they buy it, and what they expect from the brands they choose. Here are the five trends reshaping the US wine market and what they mean for your brand's survival. The Demographic Disruption The wine industry built its growth on one generation: Baby Boomers. That generation is now aging out. The Wine Market Council's 2025 U.S. Consumer Ben