In the Fall 2025 issue of Winescape, Dr. Chris Bitter, Senior Wine and Grape Analyst at Terrain, dives into the data behind the decline in alcohol consumption to find its root causes. In this episode of Expert Perspectives, he outlines the five major factors and what he thinks is the biggest driver.

Economic uncertainty continues to dampen consumer confidence and wine demand, with no apparent threats to an abundant grape crop. Wine sales are off to a slow start in 2025 and the glimmers of progress evident in the second half of 2024 have mostly dissipated. I had initially expected to see progress continue in 2025, particularly in the premium and luxury segments, due in part to an improvement in consumer sentiment that began after the November election. This looks overly optimistic now. Consumer sentiment has plummeted over the last several months, though the hard economic indicators have generally remained positive. Nonetheless, I expect the labor market to soften and progress on inflation to stall as we move into the back half of the year, though the outlook remains extremely uncertain. Thus, wine sales are not likely to improve anytime soon. Consequently, the grape market has continued to soften. This is despite the fact that there will be likely less excess fruit this year becau

Flexibility and focus will be key this year, as the economic backdrop for wine sales has become murkier, and the grape market still looks long despite a short harvest in 2024. The 2024 numbers are in, and they confirm that off-premise wine sales have not bottomed yet. They are descending at a slower rate, though, due mainly to improvement in the super-premium and luxury segments. Alternatively, the slump deepened in the direct-to-consumer (DtC) and on-premise channels. The economy continues to sail along at a reasonable pace, and the labor market remains solid. But consumer sentiment, which has been treading water, took a dive in early 2025 due to intense uncertainty and negative inflation news. The Spring 2025 Issue of Winescape includes: Breaks down the 2024 grape crush numbers by variety and region Lays out key factors for a recovery in the grape market Reviews wine sales data for 2024 and shares the outlook for 2025 Download the Spring 2025 Winescape

The most pressing topic for the California wine industry is the state of the market. This issue provides a detailed outlook for the wine market in 2025 and beyond. This issue of “Winescape” focuses entirely on the state of the market. As the fruits of the recent harvest are now being converted into wine and beginning their journey to market, the most important topic for the California wine industry is, what’s next? In this issue’s Trending Topic, I provide a detailed outlook for the wine market in 2025 and beyond. This issue: Focuses on the wine industry's most pressing topic: the state of the market Provides a detailed outlook for the wine market in 2025 and beyond Discusses the economy and wine’s post-pandemic new normal in a time of uncertainty Download Winescape Winter 2024/2025

The Winescape summer issue is now available for download. In this issue::  Analyzes early-2024 data for key economic indicators and the wine and grape markets Reveals attributes and factors that will serve as advantages for vineyards and wineries in a slower growth environment Provides insights into North Coast vineyard values, with nuanced predictions for the region's market segments Download the Winescape summer issue