Winescape: Fall 2024

Published four times a year, “Winescape” offers comprehensive analysis of the wine and grape markets as well as trending topics. Download current and previous issues of “Winescape” at winescape.com.

In the Fall 2024 issue of “Winescape,” a wine industry report series from Terrain and American AgCredit, author Chris Bitter:

• Sizes up wine sales for the first half of 2024 and gives an early glimpse into the new grape crop
• Reveals the root causes of declining sales in the lucrative direct-to-consumer (DtC) channel, and
• Provides general actions wineries can take to boost their DtC competitiveness

In the Market Happenings section, Chris notes little change in the trajectory of the wine and grape markets so far this year while pointing out some bright spots, including exports and modest improvement in the luxury wine sales segment.

Additionally, although the U.S. economy is flashing mixed signals, Chris believes an economic soft landing is still within reach. “I expect to see some stabilization in wine sales over the next year as inflation abates and interest rates come down, though a return to outright growth looks improbable,” he writes.

In the Trending Topic section, Chris examines the causes of the slump in DtC sales and offers general guidance for wineries so they can enhance their competitiveness in the hypercompetitive DtC marketplace.

“Despite today’s challenging market environment, there will continue to be opportunities for wineries that are willing to adapt to the evolving marketplace to grow their DtC sales,” he states.

The Fall 2024 issue is available to read in full here: Winescape.com