Since the birth of our nation, people have loved their booze. Whether it’s bootlegged whiskey during prohibition or your friend’s “specialty made” home brew, it’s very obvious; America has always enjoyed a drink at the end of the day. Since the 1970s microbrews have directed a cult following that has recently exploded in the past 20 years. Also exploding in the past 20 years has been the craft wine market.
While the beer market has been driven by an overwhelming majority of people who sought out intense and unique flavors, the wine market has a more noble cause driving it.
The wine industry is different from other industries within alcohol’s realm. The wine industry is dominated by three major wine manufacturers E&J Gallo, The Wine Group and Constellation all designed for profit and mass production. However, the craft wine revolution is helping change the landscape by putting smaller brands out on the market. Craft wine is the classic “little guy sticking it to ‘The Man’” story that America loves.
The wine market at a glance is very similar to the craft beer market of late. Meaning instead of big business’s mass producing the same product, a collection of skilled and smaller brewers create unique and unparalleled flavors. However the recent surge in demand for small, unique, and artisan made wines is a direct reaction to the population rejecting the domination of “wine-lords” in the marketplace. These “wine-lords” control over 50% of America’s wine market. While that might not sound like a lot, leaving only half of the market to other smaller companies makes life very difficult to the ambitious smaller guys who are trying to stake their claim in the industry. In other words, it is an uphill battle from the start.
Everything is not all bad for the little guys! As is typical in big business, when you expand size in business sometimes the product suffers. In wine, small vineyards highlight the more personal side of their production. They offer small operations and small batches that serve to add an “elitist” ambiance that “wine-heads” and novice connoisseurs appreciate all the same. In addition to producing a good product, the small vineyards are working to create new ways to share wine. Ultimately working towards reform to the current market model big vineyards have created. The most effective way for small vineyards to circumnavigate the larger business is to offer “wine of the month” clubs or sell subscription boxes. These services deliver a variety of wines every month to your door and with recent legislation changes around the country, their popularity is only rising. |
Regardless of how you feel about the wine industry, it is sure to change in the near future. The small manufacturers are bringing a lot to the table as far as quality and pride. So while their competition manifests, the entire industry benefits as a result. Wine lovers rejoice!
Author: Adam B. Platt
Editor: Carrie Hershey