Statistics from a recent Gallup poll on alcohol consumption in the U.S. are a cause of concern for the U.S. wine community, but how nervous should they be? Even more important, what actions should the industry take to ensure that consumers can still enjoy wine in moderation, and to help support thousands of small family wines businesses around the nation?
In order to find some answers I reached out to Gino Colangelo, President of Colangelo & Partners, one of the largest wine-focused public relations agency in the U.S.
“The wine industry is already dealing with tariffs, a slowing economy, Ozempic, and increased competition from THC, RTD’s and other alternatives to wine,” stated Gino, in an online interview. “So the findings in this recent Gallup report are a cause of major concern.”
He identified two findings in the Gallup poll that seemed to be dramatic. “First, only 54% of American adults report that they drink alcohol. That’s the lowest percentage in 90 years! And second, over 50% of respondents believe that alcohol is bad for one’s health at any level of consumption.”
Gino admitted that he was raised with the understanding that moderate consumption was ‘Two drinks a day for men and one for women’, according to the USDA. He had also been told that a moderate amount of alcohol was actually positive for one’s health.
“This represents a dramatic shift,” stated Gino. “However, for those of us who follow the media, it’s not a shock. There’s been an overwhelming anti-wine / alcohol bias in the news the past several years.”
He referenced the fact that the Gallup report refers to ‘recent research indicating that any level of alcohol consumption may negatively affect health.’ “That bias in research dominates the news, while recent studies that suggest moderate consumption is either neutral or even potentially good for one’s health are ignored,” he reported.
How Concerned Should the U.S. Wine Industry Be?
So is the sky really falling on the wine world (as well as other alcoholic beverages), I asked Gino.
“I don’t think so. I take surveys like this Gallup poll with a grain of salt, as polls can change dramatically given the timing and what people may be reading in the news that day,” he said.
“However, I actually think the Gallup poll may do the wine community a favor by getting us to focus on the challenge of reduced wine consumption and band together to address it,” he added.
Steps the U.S. Wine Industry Can Take to Remain Relevant
Change is a constant in businesses, and therefore it is always critical to be strategic and proactive when it comes to addressing potential threats in the environment. So what steps can the U.S. wine industry (and the global wine industry) take to remain relevant and engaged with consumers during this time?
“So many things,” responded Gino. “The wine community should band together and proactively and relentlessly communicate consistent messages about why we love wine.”
He spoke about all of the positive aspects of wine, such as the fact that it is an agricultural beverage that has been in existence for more than 8,000 years. It is part of culture, art, history, diplomacy, romance and nature.
“Plus wine is good economics for farming communities around the world, and in Italy (where Gino’s ancestors are from), wine is food. But most importantly: Wine is social and has a unique ability to bring people together,” Gino stated.
He referenced some positive campaigns and organizations that are helping to promote wine in moderation, including Come Over October, that Gino co-founded with wine writer and educator, Karen MacNeil, and fellow wine PR pro Kimberly Charles. The organization hosts events and provides messaging for wineries to use to create their own ‘Come Over’ wine and friend events.
“The Come Over October campaign has garnered a lot of support from the wine world and we’re reaching wine drinkers — and potential wine drinkers — with positive messages. We just need to get more wine companies and trade organizations on board so we can reach greater numbers of consumers,” he added.
Other organizations that are making a positive impact are Wine America with their ‘The Magic of Wine’ campaign; the Wine Market Council with their ‘Wine Is’ social media campaign; Sonoma County Vintners’ ‘Wine is Us’ campaign, and Napa Valley Vintner’s ‘Why Wine Video’ campaign.
In addition, there are countless state and regional winery associations that promote moderate wine consumption and support their many small family winery members by helping them to better connect with wine consumers. It’s not just the larger wine producing states such as California, Washington, Oregon, New York, Virginia, Texas, Ohio, and Missouri that have such associations, but even smaller wine producing states such as Idaho, North Carolina, New Jersey, Florida, and many others.
How Should the U.S. Wine Industry Respond to Anti-Wine Articles
Given the large number of anti-alcohol articles that have been published in the past year, it is highly probable that this is impacting consumer sentiment. But just a couple of decades ago, wine (especially red wine) was praised for its positive health benefits, even on 60-Minutes, with their famous ‘French Paradox’ show. How has the messaging flipped so completely?
“Unfortunately, the louder voices right now are anti-wine/alcohol and they’re winning in the court of public opinion,” stated Gino. “Yet, for every study showing negative effects of wine (or alcohol generally) at any level of consumption, there’s another study that says moderate consumption is either neutral or can actually be positive. This makes me believe that the best response is to create a positive narrative around wine that overwhelms the negativity and anti-wine propaganda.”
Toward the end of our interview, Gino added that another solution could be to provide more affordable priced glasses and bottles of wine.
“I live in New York city and am continually amazed at the By-the-Glass costs. Generally it starts at $15 and goes up from there. For a younger person particularly, that’s a big investment to make in a wine they may have never even tasted before,” he said.
“I think wine companies and restaurants need to re-think the economics of wine, especially at the entry level. There’s a world of excellent wine at $15 — $20/bottle of wine store shelves all over the U.S. Let’s celebrate and promote those wines as well as the more aspirational and expensive bottles,” he concluded.