It’s no secret that people are drinking less. The consistent, downward trends in alcohol consumption are presenting significant challenges to the wine industry, which is already having to operate in a complex, competitive marketplace. In order to dissect what is happening in the world of wine and figure out how to make adjustments, industry leaders need solid information on which to base their current business practices and future projections. Fortunately, the industry has Terrain, a group of experts providing exclusive insights and forecasting to customers of American AgCredit and other participating Farm Credit associations in order to promote a more vigorous agricultural economy. Chris Bitter, Ph.D., a senior wine and grape analyst with Terrain and American AgCredit, has recently written two comprehensive articles for "Winescape", a publication that delves into current wine sales data and explores what those show about trending topics such as overall alcohol consump

Please join Sonoma County Vintners and American AgCredit’s Terrain Analysts for a look at macroeconomic forecast and trends in the vineyard and wine markets. Hear Agriculture and Macroeconomics Analyst, Matt Clark, discuss the impacts of interest rates on investment decisions, rising production costs and labor challenges in the agriculture industry. Senior Grape & Wine Analyst, Chris Bitter, Ph.D. will bring Matt’s points to the wine industry with a market analysis and grape crush report synthesis. Please stay for lunch to continue the conversation. Terrain, The Lay of the Land, From Agriculture’s Leading Experts. An offering of American AgCredit, Farm Credit Services of America and Frontier Farm Credit, Terrain delivers exclusive insight and confident forecasting in the market areas that have an impact on our customers’ businesses. American AgCredit and Terrain proudly produce Winescape, a quarterly report on the markets and trends of the California vineyar

The wine market’s malaise appears to have both deepened and broadened in early 2023. U.S. wine sales are declining at a slightly faster rate — and the contraction now extends to nearly all sales channels, price tiers and varietals.  Read the latest report from Dr. Chris Bitter, Terrain U.S. Wine Sales Continue to Slide

Starting last November, American AgCredit is now offering Terrain, at no charge to their customers. Terrain is a team of analysts and economists who provide insights on economic factors, trends and markets. Terrain’s senior wine and grape analyst, Dr. Chris Bitter, has published his first outlook, “2022 Grape Crush: Don’t Bet Too Heavily on a Repeat Performance.” In the outlook he writes, “Growth in wine sales has been progressively stronger at successively higher price points, and grape price appreciation in Napa, the state’s premier wine appellation, has outpaced that of the other coastal regions by a wide margin.”  Read the outlook online for his thoughts on consumer wine demand and what could happen with prices if grape yields return to the four million-ton normal. 2022 Grape Crush: Don’t Bet Too Heavily on a Repeat Performance