Darin Szilagyi
Wine X Online Edition
Once seen as the beverage of cultural sophistication and communal ritual, wine now finds itself swirling near the rim of relevance among younger adults. Millennials and Gen Z, long considered the future of every consumer category, are distancing themselves from the stemware their parents so cherished. The reasons are complex—cultural, economic, and behavioral—but the outcome is clear: wine is losing the next generation.
I’ve been thinking a lot about something my predecessor, Wine X’s founding Executive Publisher Darryl Roberts, said back in the early 1990s. When he launched this magazine, it was because he recognized that wine had already fallen out of favor with 20-something Gen Xers—his own generation. It wasn’t a new problem, even then. Darryl spoke openly, sometimes defiantly, about the need for thoughtful change to bring consumers back into the fold. For him, wine was never just about what was in the glass. It was about friendship, food, connection, history, legacy—and above all, authenticity. Wine X was born to bridge that gap. Now, in 2025, we find ourselves facing the same challenge—but under a new set of circumstances.
This article explores why, including a surprisingly under-discussed factor—price per serving—and what the industry might do to stem the outflow.
Part I: The Great Retreat from the Vineyard
There was a time when wine symbolized arrival. It adorned tables at milestone dinners, sat beside books in leather-bound studies, and came wrapped in language meant to signal status. For Baby Boomers and Gen X, wine was a mark of maturity. But for Millennials and Gen Z, wine is increasingly a luxury reserved for special occasions—if it’s considered at all.
Recent Gallup data confirms this generational shift: the percentage of young adults (ages 18–34) who say they drink alcohol at all has dropped from 72% in the early 2000s to 62% today. Even among those who do drink, wine ranks far behind beer, spirits, and even hard seltzers in popularity. The Wine Market Council reported that in 2023, only 16% of younger consumers listed wine as their preferred alcoholic beverage—compared to nearly 40% among older adults.
Part II: What Happened to the Romance?
At first glance, the reasons seem symbolic. Wine—despite the best efforts of natural wine advocates and casual sommeliers—still struggles with perceptions of elitism. Younger consumers describe it as “stuffy,” “complicated,” or “just mid.” As one Gen Z drinker put it in The Guardian: “I don’t need to know what side of the hill the grapes were grown on to enjoy a drink.”
That cultural detachment has only deepened with lifestyle trends. Younger consumers are prioritizing wellness, moderation, and mindfulness. Alcohol—once a mainstay of young adulthood—is now approached with skepticism. Many Millennials and Gen Z drink less, and when they do drink, they often look for lower-ABV, gluten-free, or better-for-you options. In this environment, hard seltzers and RTDs (ready-to-drink cocktails) have flourished—products that promise convenience, transparency, and social compatibility.
Part III: The Cost of a Pour
Among the reasons often cited—health, culture, convenience—one powerful force has been relatively underreported: price.
Recent research shows that wine is significantly more expensive per serving than its competitors. On average:
• Wine: $3.42 per serving
• Beer: $2.19
• Spirits: $1.95
• Hard seltzers/RTDs: $2.03
For a generation facing stagnant wages, inflation, and student debt, every dollar counts. And when wine’s cost per serving runs 50% higher than a can of beer or a seltzer, it quickly shifts from staple to splurge.
Surveys back this up. Younger consumers associate beer and seltzers with affordability, fun, and convenience. Wine? It’s often seen as a special-occasion drink—an indulgence wrapped in ritual and cost. As Lindsay Hoopes of Hoopes Vineyard puts it, “We’re being told we’re not ‘the right kind’ of Napa anymore—and the worst part is, it’s happening at a moment when people my age are finally starting to look for meaning in the things they buy and support. If we can’t survive, what hope is there for the next generation of small farmers?”
Younger drinkers aren’t saying wine isn’t good. They’re saying it’s not good enough to justify the price, especially when other options are more economical, easier to understand, and socially aligned with their values.
Part IV: A Market at Risk
The numbers are sobering. Total U.S. wine consumption is declining year-over-year. Wines under $15 are struggling. Growth is coming almost exclusively from consumers over 60. Without intervention, the industry is staring at a demographic cliff.
The Silicon Valley Bank’s 2023 report described this as a “structural decline”—a long-term erosion, not a seasonal dip. A 2024 review by BW166 was even more direct: today’s cost-conscious young consumers “do not bode well for broader adoption” of wine unless the industry adapts.
Part V: Can the Industry Course Correct?
There is, however, a path forward. It starts with understanding that younger consumers aren’t rejecting wine outright—they’re rejecting the version of wine that feels inaccessible, overpriced, and irrelevant. They want transparency, value, and experiences they can share. They don’t need tradition to be erased, but it must be demystified and democratized.
Here’s what that might look like:
• Rethinking Packaging: Boxed, canned, and single-serve formats that reduce cost and increase convenience.
• Modern Marketing: Campaigns that highlight occasion-less enjoyment, diversity of makers, and authenticity over aspiration.
• Price Innovation: Strategic product lines that hit $10–$12 per bottle without compromising quality.
• Cultural Alignment: Emphasizing values that matter—sustainability, wellness, inclusivity—rather than tasting notes alone.
• Doubling Down on Romance and Place: All stakeholders—from producers to regulators—must recommit to the emotional core of wine: the story, the soil, the family behind the bottle. For a generation hungry for authenticity, this isn’t marketing fluff—it’s the entire reason to care.
That’s what makes recent disputes in Napa County so disheartening. Small, beloved producers like Hoopes Vineyard—a woman-led, multigenerational farm rooted in regenerative agriculture—have been caught in the crosshairs of increasingly adversarial land-use enforcement. Rather than being uplifted as exactly the kind of operation that keeps Napa’s heritage and soul intact, Hoopes has found itself the target of regulatory actions that paint a dangerous picture of exclusion and overreach.
The issue goes well beyond Hoopes. Other respected, sustainability-minded estates like Robert Sinskey Vineyards, Tres Sabores, and Frog’s Leap—each known for their deep environmental commitment and open-door hospitality—have raised similar concerns. These aren’t mega-developers. They’re family-run, organic-certified vineyards that helped pioneer the very ethos Napa now trades on.
And yet, they’ve been met with resistance—challenged over tastings, land use, or minimal events programming that should be seen as bridges to the future, not threats to tradition. The result is a chilling message to the next generation of winemakers and wine lovers alike: the Napa Valley of values may be slipping behind the Napa Valley of litigation.
For a generation that shops small, votes with their wallets, and is actively seeking connection over consumption, this is exactly the wrong fight at exactly the wrong time. Wine doesn’t just need to defend these producers—it needs to put them forward, proudly and persistently. Because if we let the storytellers go quiet, we lose the only story that still matters.
Conclusion: Legacy at a Crossroads
Wine isn’t dying. But it is losing ground—especially among the very consumers who should be carrying its story forward. The reasons are many: health trends, shifting culture, convenience, and yes, price. But among them all, the perception of wine as too expensive and not emotionally rewarding enough for the price stands out as a solvable problem. In an Insta & TikTock world, we haven’t found our voice or found followers.
If the industry wants to win back the next generation, it will need to rebalance the scales between elegance and accessibility, tradition and transformation. And frankly, as we see in Napa today, it’s going to need support from the communities around us who can help restore and fortify our stories Wine doesn’t have to become beer or seltzer to stay relevant. But it must prove that it’s worth choosing—not just once a year, but again and again.
Because if wine wants to be part of the future, it can’t just sell nostalgia. It must offer value paired thiughtfully with authenticity.
