Side By Side Whiskey & Wine Sipping: Spirit Creators Invade Winery Terroir
What is the future of wine tasting in California’s Napa, Sonoma, Monterey, Paso Robles, Lodi or Temecula now that whiskey, vodka and tequila creators are finally having their day? These spirit creators are besting wine’s 30+ year growth spurt and for the first time spirits are outselling wine.
As sales of whiskey, tequila and vodka grow and displace wine in our liquor cabinets, what’s a California winemaker to do?
#1) Hunker down, keep making your wine, satisfying those who love your art the most?
#2) Partner with a distillery, allow whiskey tasting and direct to consumer sales in your tasting facility?
#3) Purchase distillery hardware, hire some talent and create your own whiskey, vodka and tequila?
A version of each of these is occurring throughout the state of California. Some winemakers realize consumers want more options. Wine lovers don’t want to leave their whiskey and tequila sipping friends at home.
Distillery trails are popping up around California. According to the California Alcohol Beverage Control there are 16 distilleries in Paso Robles, 14 in San Luis Obispo, 17 distilleries in Napa and seven in Sonoma wine country. Let’s include four ABC distillery licenses in Temecula.
Our tumbler of spirits sprouting in California wine regions is half full and more are pouring in.
Cass Winery in Paso Robles looks to add distilled beverage in 2025 according to it’s owner. Steve Cass says, basically it’s to draw more customers. He says, “We oftentimes find customers come here and the husband is a spirits drinker. He’ll drink wine but it’s not his reason for coming. So I think it just broadens the appeal to our facility.”
| ‘Wine lovers may visit combo distilleries and wineries with our non-wine loving friends and enjoy a few days of exploration, merriment, food and beverage…’ |
With declining wine consumption in the US, and world wide, one wonders if slowing sales are a component of this distilled spirit movement. Cass says, “It has to be a component.”
Small niche winemakers, distillers and craft breweries perfected small batch craft beverages over the past 20 years. But for spirit makers, their costs run higher as they barrel store their product for 5-10 years for maturity. It’s a very expensive process.
It’s common to find a 5+ year-old scotch or whiskey. Even tequila has entered the game and you can now purchase 4-year-old tequila. You simply pay a premium for it because it’s been stored in the creators barrel for years. Their risk, not yours. Their time, not yours. You just have to pay the price.
While brewers sell their beverage immediately, winemakers hold their beverages 1-4 years, spirit makers barrel their beverages 10+ years. Imagine the capital cost of this and it’s impact on retail pricing.
If you think the premium on some bottles of wine is high, wait till you purchase a smallbatch whiskey or scotch that will set you back $1000 or more. As an example, Whistlepig’s The Beholden Rye, oaked 21 years, sells for $980.
Now, wine lovers may visit combo distilleries and wineries with our non-wine loving friends and enjoy a few days of merriment, food and beverage in California’s wine country.
After a 9% worldwide wine consumption decline in 2023, and the US it is no different, wine could use the help. A glut of bulk vino (think your grocery store type) are on sale while winemakers in California are discounting estate wine 30%, 40% and 50%. Perhaps we can encourage Willie Nelson , who’s song Whiskey River song touted the joys of whiskey, to jump start a growth cycle of wine sales with a song.
We’ll harmonize with Willie singing something like this:
“Cabernet River, take my mind
Don’t let her mem’ry torture me
Zinfandel River, don’t run dry
You’re all I’ve got, take care of me
Chardonnay River, take my mind
Don’t let her mem’ry torture me
Pinot Grigio River, don’t run dry
You’re all I’ve got, take care of me
I’m drowning in a purple river
Bathing my mem’ried mind in the wetness of its soul
Feeling the purple current flowin’ from my mind
And leaving a heart you left so cold”
Some notes on our wine ranking system.
Bill & Erin Hodge write about California Wine, the estates & winemakers producing them and educational information about Vino. Living in California Wine Country provides a front row seat to the places you want to visit the most here in the Golden State.
– -✰ means -What’s next on your list of wines
-✰ means -Not liking it too much
✰ means -We’ll drink this wine, especially if it’s hosted!
✰+ means -You’ve got our attention and we might buy this wine.
✰+ + means -We’re hooked and we’re going to buy this wine.
When you see -✰/✰+ with a slash, it means we disagree.
