This one goes out to all my cohorts and colleagues who sat the MW exam this past week. Here’s hoping you have a relaxing weekend and some fun summer plans. Proud of you.
✌️🥂
RNDC Abandons California and Leaves Thousands of Wineries Scrambling
RNDC turned the California wine market upside down on Monday when it announced it would cease operations in the state by September 2.
RNDC is the second-biggest alcohol wholesaler in the United States, which means hundreds, if not thousands, of US and foreign wineries will be left without a route to market in one of the most important wine markets in the world; California law requires wineries to go through a wholesaler to sell their products to retailers and restaurants, while wineries in the state are allowed limited self-distribution.
“RNDC’s approach to exiting California — apparently opting to shutter operations rather than sell the business — is an unconventional strategy for an important state like California,” says attorney Rebecca Stamey-White. “It’s creating notable confusion and a sense of disruption among suppliers that work with RNDC, both in California and elsewhere.” READ MORE…
A Message from Bob Hendrickson, RNDC
First, California. This decision was driven by rising operational costs, industry headwinds, and supplier changes that made the market unsustainable. It’s important to emphasize this is not a reflection of our California team’s performance or dedication, and we thank them for all they’ve done over the years. We are committed to supporting all impacted associates with respect and care throughout the transition.
Regarding Brown-Forman, their decision to end partnerships across all open markets, effective August 1, is part of a broader strategic shift—not performance-related. While this brings change, we are actively evaluating the impact and charting a path to emerge stronger. We’ve faced challenges before and grown through them—we’ll do so again. READ MORE…
How Provence is dealing with drought
“It was like a beach,” said co-founder of Mirabeau Wine, Jeany Cronk about the 20-hectare Provencal estate near Brignoles she bought with her husband in 2019.
So devoid of organic matter, the soils were a pale yellow, and they had become hard too, making them impermeable to water, she recalled, telling db earlier this year that the previous owner was “allergic to seeing a single weed”, and as a result, had liberally applied herbicides to the vineyards.
But Cronk had fallen in love with the estate, with its 13.5ha of vineyards surrounded by woodland, along with a stream dissecting the property, as well as a small farmhouse, which was used by the former occupiers as a holiday home. READ MORE…
Non-alcoholic beer projected to overtake ale as the second-largest beer category worldwide this year
Non-alcoholic beer is on track to overtake ale as the second-largest beer category by volume worldwide this year, according to a new projections from industry tracker IWSR.
While overall beer volume fell roughly 1% in 2024, volume for its non-alcoholic counterpart grew 9% worldwide, according to IWSR. The category’s growth accelerated in 2018 and has continued to outstrip the broader beer market since then.
IWSR is projecting that no-alcohol beer will grow by 8% annually through 2029, while ale’s volume is expected to slide 2% annually in that same period.
Despite recent growth, no-alcohol beer is far from becoming the top-selling beer category globally and only holds about 2% of worldwide beer market share. With 92% market share, lager is far and away the largest beer category and still growing, albeit at a slower pace than non-alcoholic beer. READ MORE…
Changyu GM: We Failed to Connect with Consumers
Sun characterised the industry’s woes with three “cliff-like” declines: in consumer sentiment, in consumption occasions, and in channel momentum.
“Consumers are tightening their wallets, and wine, as a non-essential good, is often the first to go when spending cuts kick in,” Sun said.
He pointed to the sharp drop in wine consumption during two key sales periods—Chinese New Year in 2024 and 2025—as evidence of a long-term contraction in the sector’s most critical sales scenarios: business banquets and gift-giving. Despite being peak season, few brands benefitted from the holidays, reinforcing a growing pattern of “festivals without a sales boost.”
Compared to five years ago, wine sales have essentially been halved twice, Sun noted, with current volumes sitting at just 26% of their 2019 levels. He described the contraction in consumption scenarios as a “chronic condition” for the industry. READ MORE…
Xing Wei MW: ‘stop putting a dragon on your wine label in China’
Xing Wei MW, who passed his Master of Wine exams in 2024, believes just two brands have achieved the ultimate success in the Chinese market — Penfolds and Lafite.
Certain aspects of both brands have particular appeal in China, Wei explained to db during ProWine Hong Kong. For Penfolds, its predominantly red packaging and the fact that the brand name translates to “rush to rich” in Chinese are key factors.
When it comes to Lafite, Wei argued that the French brand has made efforts to engage with Chinese cultural elements. “For example, for Lafite 2008 they put a number eight Chinese character on the bottle. This shows respect, in my opinion, because you are showing respect to the Chinese market,” he said.
However, Wei warned against brands using Chinese imagery “in a cheap way”. He criticised international producers trying to engage wine drinkers in China with “a big dragon or panda on the label”.
He used the example of brands releasing new labels each Lunar New Year. “It’s the Year of the Dragon, then the Year of the Snake, then the Rabbit. Every year [brands] do the same, putting a snake or a dragon [on the label] for this vintage. It’s so lazy to do that,” he said. READ MORE…
How One California Winery Is Reinventing Wine Clubs For Millennials And Gen Z
In El Dorado County, California, a few hours north of Napa Valley, Edio Vineyards has introduced a new approach that challenges the standard template. The winery now offers a monthly, pay-as-you-go membership in which funds accumulate in a customer account that can be used at their discretion—for wine, cider, food or goods from an on-site bakery.
Christine Noonan, co-owner and general manager, says the motivation to rethink the system emerged from personal experience. READ MORE…
Gen Z Doesn’t Want to Start a Bar Tab
Unhappy Hour
Indeed, there was a time when an after-work happy hour—loosely organized among a gaggle of officemates, all searching for a hit of debauchery to burn off the resentments of an annoying shift—was one of the sacred rites of employment. During these gatherings, acquaintanceship could be hammered into familiarity, the awkwardness of hierarchical leverage could melt away, and dirty laundry could be aired free and easy without the panoptic paper trail of Slack. And yet, for so many reasons, our sacred after-work happy hour has become an endangered species. This is something I began to notice slowly, then all at once. I used to know the people I worked with, right? Weren’t my personal and professional lives a bit more entwined? I swear, my colleagues used to have fun around the office. Why does that all feel so long ago? READ MORE…
It was one of California’s biggest natural wineries. Then it became a cautionary tale
Only a year ago, Subject to Change Wine Co. looked to be on top of the world.
Owner Alex Pomerantz was one of the country’s largest producers of natural wine, with a Whole Foods partnership and a successful annual wine festival. He was getting ready to launch an affordable brand, All Hours, that he hoped would bring natural wine to the masses.
But by March, Pomerantz was sure he was going under. READ MORE…
Blogs Worth a Read
Taken from the list of Blogs and other media outlets I follow regularly, here are just a few posts from this past week I think are worth a read. Shoot me a note if you have suggestions of independent media to follow or want your outlet included on that list.
Felicity Carter: Young, Sober, and Cautious: What a Major Study Says About Alcohol and Gen Z
Few questions have gripped the wine industry more than the question of why young people are drinking less.
Is wine outdated? Too full of obscure rituals? Not innovative enough?
Now it’s not just wine — beer, spirits, and even financial institutions are asking what’s happening with young people. And so are public health academics.
In late April, an international group of academics published a book called Young People, Alcohol, and Risk: A Culture of Caution by Amy Pennay et al.
It’s a weighty tome that looks at young people and why they’re drinking less from a sociological point of view. READ MORE…
Hwy 29: Wine Branding for the Next Generation: What Works, What Doesn’t
The wine industry is facing a demand reset.
For decades, wineries could count on an audience to buy based on tradition, prestige, and a deep love for the nuances of terroir. But that audience is aging out. The next generation of wine drinkers—Millennials and Gen Z—aren’t just looking for a great bottle. They’re looking for experiences, identity, and values.
This isn’t a small shift. It’s a fundamental change in how and why people buy wine. The wineries that adapt will thrive. The ones that don’t? They’ll be wondering why their sales keep slipping.
Let’s break down what matters to these younger consumers—and how wineries can shift their branding to meet them where they are. READ MORE…
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