How Long Will This Last? Now it feels like it's 2025. The new year's cobwebs are clearing, and the events are starting, including the release of the Annual SVB State of the Industry Report, the DTC Wine Symposium, and next week, the Unified Wine Symposium will be in full force. The main goal of presenting the SVB State of the Industry Report is to provide a forward view and be as transparent as possible. I understand that many in this industry don't like to hear 'doom and gloom.' Who does? But that is exactly the comment I received several times over in the 2019 report when I said: With a good 2018 in the books, it would be easy for winery owners to just keep doing what they do now, hoping the multitude of challenges creating the current retail sluggishness will be solved. This would include consumers finding more discretionary income, labor and migration issues becoming disentangled, and the emergence of digital platforms and strategies to unravel the many pr

The Political Tug-of-War The title of this post reflects the actions the Surgeon General is promoting. It's part of a long-term, well-thought-out, and well-funded campaign against consuming alcohol - any amount of alcohol. The campaign runs circles around anyone wanting to point out the other positive health science behind moderate consumption. But this report shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.  In a  September 2019 blog post titled "Get Ready For Cancer Warnings on Wine Labels," I discussed the developing impact of the Cumulative Negative Health Message spread by neo-prohibitionists. Even then, there was a growing push to add enhanced cancer warning labels. By now, you've undoubtedly heard the latest iteration of this skirmish, but if not, let me get you up to speed. On January 3rd, when many were resetting their circadian clocks back to work time after an extended holiday break, the outgoing Surgeon General released an advisory about alcohol consumpti

Afternoon Brief: What Do Neo-Prohibitionists Really Want?

Organizations that advocate for more stringent policies around the sale and marketing of alcohol are gaining momentum. What does this mean for the beverage industry?...

2024 Series Presenting Sponsor: Recent consumer research demonstrates dramatic shifts in Gen Z and young Millennials’ attitudes about wine consumption while at the same time, anti-alcohol lobbyists are fanning the Neo-Prohibitionist flames. The good news is that wine companies and advocates are fighting back with campaigns that focus on the positive attributes of wine. In this session, Gino Colangelo will present the findings of a consumer research study conducted by Wine Opinions and Colangelo & Partners, that illustrates the challenges for attracting new wine drinkers. In addition, this session will also include: Dave Parker, President of Benchmark Wine Group, will talk about the misinformation propagated by anti-alcohol lobbyists. Karen MacNeil, Author of The Wine Bible and Editor of the Digital Newsletter WineSpeed, will present ‘Come Over October,’ a consumer campaign developed by a new mission-driven company ‘COME TOGETHER – A Communit

BOLD PREDICTIONS: The Wine Advocates Pushing Back on Anti-Alcohol Movement Registration is open for the third session in our 2024 Bold Predictions series, presented by Heffernan Insurance Brokers. It focuses on one of the most pressing topics within the wine industry today: The Anti-Alcohol Movement. Recent consumer research reveals significant changes in Gen Z and Millennials' attitudes toward wine consumption while anti-alcohol lobbyists continue to fuel Neo-Prohibitionist sentiments. In this session, Gino Colangelo will present the findings of a consumer research study conducted that illustrates the challenges for attracting new wine drinkers. Dave Parker, of Benchmark Wine Group, will talk about the misinformation propagated by anti-alcohol lobbyists. Karen MacNeil, Author & Editor, will present a consumer campaign ‘COME TOGETHER – A Community for Wine. And Shilah Salmon, with Jackson Family Wines, will present campaigns and sponsorship initiating to engage yo

Session 3: Wine Advocates Push Back on Anti-Alcohol Movement Registration is open for the third session in our 2024 Bold Predictions series, presented by Heffernan Insurance Brokers. It focuses on one of the most pressing topics within the wine industry today: The Anti-Alcohol Movement. Recent consumer research reveals significant changes in Gen Z and Millennials' attitudes toward wine consumption while anti-alcohol lobbyists continue to fuel Neo-Prohibitionist sentiments. This session will take a look at the findings of a recent consumer research study that illustrates the challenges of attracting new wine drinkers. This broadcast will also include details on the misinformation propagated by anti-alcohol lobbyists and the consumer campaigns designed to focus on the positive attributes of wine. Join us on Wednesday, August 7th **Register for this FREE Online Session Today**

Afternoon Brief, April 25th

THURSDAY, APRIL 25 TRENDING STORY   Neo-Prohibitionists and What the Wine Trade Can Do One of the most interesting panels at Vinitaly was on the topic of the anti-alcohol movement […]

Afternoon Brief, November 3rd

Down to Zero: Ignoring Neo-Prohibitionists Could Prove Dangerous to the Wine Industry: The recently completed Lifestyle, Diet, Wine & Health congress in Toledo, Spain, brought together experts from around the world to acknowledge the threat from neo-Prohibitionists and to begin to decide on how to respond...

Down to Zero: Ignoring neo-Prohibitionists Could Prove Dangerous to the Wine Industry

The recently completed Lifestyle, Diet, Wine & Health congress in Toledo, Spain, brought together experts from around the world to acknowledge the threat from neo-Prohibitionists and to begin to decide […]