FEBRUARY 2, 2022 | INDUSTRY NEWS & OUTLOOKS | MATT CLARK, SENIOR INDUSTRY ANALYST AND KALYN WALSH, CREDIT COMPLIANCE ANALYST, AMERICAN AGCREDIT In 2021, the wine industry began to recover from an unusual and challenging year in 2020. Wine sales sharply improved from the previous year, when pandemic-related restaurant and bar closures spurred a precipitous decline in wineries’ sales at restaurants and tasting rooms. Wine sales improved around 10 percent in 2021, according to Wines Vines Analytics and bw166, and analysts expect demand for wine to remain healthy in 2022. Overall demand for wine grapes has improved, driven by a limited reopening of tourism, restaurant and event traffic. Many expect to see modest improvements in wine sales and grape values in 2022. Rising input prices from supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, drought, and general inflation may narrow margins for some operators. As the economy was reopened in a limited fashion, wine sales bega