Perhaps America’s wine consumption really did peak during the pandemic, because as of late, Americans have been drinking less wine. Slowing sales can be attributed to a number of factors: younger generations are drinking less alcohol, and people are tightening their purse strings due to inflation. That the World Health Organization declared no amount of alcohol consumption safe probably hasn’t helped either (although experts, incidentally, say the truth is much more nuanced than the headlines).
So we decided to check-in with three female entrepreneurs working in the wine industry, who we’ve previously profiled in our 1,000 Stories Project, to see how they’ve been doing this year. Here’s what we found.
Overall, their businesses are doing well.
It’s actually been an “exceptionally strong” year for Jon’ll Boyd, owner of Boyd Cru Wines, the first family-owned, federally permitted and state-licensed winery in Maryland, which officially launched in April 2023. The company is experiencing the flush of new growth, with revenue up 46% compared to its first year in operation, which Boyd attributes to “expanded market presence and strategic sales efforts.” Despite industry headwinds, Boyd has also secured distribution through three new retailers.
In Northampton, Massachusetts, Holly Berrigan of MYSA Natural Wine, an e-commerce platform that sells natural wine subscription boxes, is also seeing growth, even if incremental. “We are up marginally year-over-year,” she said, “which we feel very lucky about since overall the industry is seeing stark declines.”
And Polly Hammond, who is the founder of 5forests, a digital marketing agency based in Barcelona for wineries, told us she has seen “steady growth” as her business approaches its 10-year anniversary. Though Hammond also says her clients are feeling stress, especially as it relates to “sales, staffing and the effects of climate change, [which] are major concerns for wine producers right now.”
People are drinking more natural and low intervention wine.
Natural wine has seen a huge spike in popularity in recent years, which Berrigan said has fueled her company’s growth this year. “Being in … one of the only areas that’s still growing in wine … has helped a lot,” she said. And while she’s seen “orange wine and pet-nat [pétillant naturel] continue to grow in popularity,” she does wish the industry would stop using the word “funky” to describe natural wines. Berrigan admitted, “I’m just as guilty of using it as the next person,” but “there are just so many better words to describe what’s happening with a wine that makes it different from the norm.”
Boyd has also noticed that consumers are showing a preference for sustainable and locally sourced wines. “There is a desire to support the small guy and local brands because consumers can see where their money is going, and consumers are becoming more impact-driven and socially conscious.” To match consumer tastes, Boyd is using “100% Maryland-grown grapes” and producing wines that emphasize community-focused experiences. “We also use sustainable farming practices and zero sugar in many of our wines, as we’ve seen a growing number of consumers becoming more health conscious as well.”
Hammond has also observed the increasing health-conscious habits of consumers – even when they’re drinking wine. She told us, “The biggest trend has been the drive for lower alcohol offerings. While this is attributed to Millennials and Gen Z, there are also a lot of Boomers who are reducing their intake of alcohol.”
The pandemic brought the industry online
All three women we spoke to say the pandemic changed the way people buy wine – and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Boyd told us, “We recognized that the wine industry has changed permanently, with more opportunities for direct-to-consumer sales via store and online distribution.” Hammond has observed similar trends. “Businesses that had previously resisted digital channels suddenly realized these could be their lifeline,” she said. “The result was a rapid, sector-wide adoption of direct-to-consumer sales and digital marketing.”
And while Hammond believes this has been positive for the wine industry overall, “It has also led to challenges.” While some brands understand digital, others are still searching for a digital “magic bullet” to “make their brand go viral,” she said.
The industry still has a long way to go in terms of DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion).
“Black-owned wine businesses comprise just 1% of the sector in the U.S.,” says Boyd, who is Black, but she has been heartened to see a “demand to see more inclusivity in the wine industry.”
Hammond told us about the “leaky pipeline” she’s observed when it comes to women. While women join the wine industry in substantial numbers, often making up over 50% of entry-level positions, few make it to senior roles, with only 20-25% holding executive positions. “As careers progress, we observe a noticeable decline in the number of women in mid-level management roles, a phenomenon often attributed to limited access to mentorship, networking barriers and work-life balance challenges,” she says.
But a bright spot might be the non-traditional wine world, according to Berrigan. “In the natural wine space, there are so many women in leadership that it always feels like I’m in great company,” she says. “The wider industry still has a lot of work to do, but I do think progress is being made slowly.”
