​The market for wine grapes continues to evolve, and success for growers now depends on more than exceptional fruit alone. In this Business of Vineyards webinar, Michael Cuffe, Napa native and founder of Napa Valley Creative Agency, shares his insights and practical strategies for effectively marketing vineyards, building visibility, and communicating value in a changing marketplace.

​Buyers, wineries, and consumers increasingly form first impressions of vineyards through digital channels before any direct interaction occurs. Websites, social media presence, search engine visibility, and even emerging AI tools shape how blocks, practices, and people are perceived. A lack of up-to-date digital information or inconsistent messaging can unintentionally diminish a vineyard’s perceived professionalism and relevance.

​Amidst an uncertain growing season, Richard Mendelson offers a forward-looking view of Napa Valley, emphasizing how the region’s history of resilience positions it well for the challenges ahead. Napa Valley has undergone a remarkable evolution, from the trials of Prohibition and phylloxera to the global triumph of the Judgment of Paris and the establishment of the Ag Preserve, Napa has always found strength through collaboration and a shared commitment to agriculture. While today’s pressures include climate variability, shifting consumer trends, rising costs, and significant vineyard removals, the valley remains steadfast, spurred on by its enduring advantages: exceptional land, multi-generational expertise, a culture of quality, and a community determined to protect what makes the valley special.

​To build on these strengths, Mendelson introduces a four-part framework designed to guide Napa toward a balanced, resilient future. The proposals include identifying and protecting the valley’s most sensitive ecological lands, developing a viticultural suitability system informed by modern science and GIS tools, implementing in-lieu fees to ensure net environmental benefits, and creating a Transfer of Development Rights program that supports both conservation and much-needed affordable housing. These tools, already successful in other regions, offer Napa a practical and proactive path forward, one that encourages smart growth, protects irreplaceable landscapes, and helps the agricultural economy adapt with intention rather than urgency.

​While the path forward requires change, Mendelson highlights the importance of celebrating and preserving Napa’s identity through a vineyard registry that documents vineyard histories, boundaries, and defining traits. This effort, alongside active participation in the county’s General Plan update, will help ensure that policies reflect both ecological priorities and agricultural realities. Napa’s capacity for reinvention has never been accidental, and with thoughtful planning, shared stewardship, and a commitment to balance, the valley is well positioned to thrive in its next chapter, strengthening the land, the community, and the legacy that future generations will inherit.

Caleb opens the 2026 season of Grown in Napa Valley from Louisville, Kentucky, where he sits down with vintner-turned-whiskey-maker Mark Carter. Their conversation traces Carter’s journey from Eureka hospitality to Napa winemaking and ultimately to Kentucky bourbon, highlighting the shared craftsmanship between wine and spirits, barrels, blending, farming roots, and the growing consumer interest in how raw materials are cultivated. Carter reflects on decades of working with iconic Napa vineyards and the parallels he now sees in the rising “grain-to-glass” movement, as distillers embrace terroir and agricultural storytelling much like grape growers do. Their tasting together underscores how both wines and whiskies reflect the land, the season, and the maker’s hand. 
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The episode then returns to Napa for Glass with a Grower featuring winemaker and NVG Board Member Dan Petroski. Dan speaks to his passion for Mediterranean-style white wines, the evolving needs of Napa’s wine market, and the importance of growers becoming more visible partners in consumer storytelling. He discusses the challenges of the 2025 season, the opportunities ahead in 2026, the need for deeper collaboration between growers and wineries, and the promise of AB 720 in connecting visitors directly with vineyards. Looking forward, Dan stresses community resilience, thoughtful adaptation, and a renewed focus on helping growers navigate shifting markets while continuing to champion the quality and diversity of Napa Valley agriculture. 

• “About four bottles in at four o’clock, he said, ‘You ever think about making wine?’… and I said, ‘Yeah, I only got one problem—I don’t have any grapes.’” - Mark Carter 
• “You can't control that kind of serendipity… having Fred Schrader walk into your restaurant and getting a contract passed over to you. Unbelievable.” - Caleb Mosley 
  
• “We have to refocus our message… there are only a few places in the world that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Napa Valley.” - Dan Petroski
  
• “We’re going to make every batch different… just like in Napa with wines, every vintage is different.” - Mark Carter 
• “I don’t profess to be an expert in grape growing—I just want to understand the feeling… to be there at every inflection point as the vine develops.” - Dan Petroski
  
• “Every year of my farming career, I can almost remember month-to-month what was going on… it keeps you in touch. It keeps it real.” - Caleb Mosley
  

The wine market is in a period of structural change, not a temporary dip. For growers, this shift calls for clear-eyed planning, realistic budgeting, and renewed partnership with wineries. Below is a concise look at the most important takeaways from our recent Business of Vineyards Financial Resiliency webinar, with speaker Jon Moramarco of bw166, distilled to what matters most for Napa growers today.

Long-term industry growth trends that guided vineyard development for decades have flattened. Total U.S. alcohol consumption has declined, and wine’s share is no longer expanding. Lower-priced segments are seeing the steepest drop, while premium categories remain more stable, though within a smaller overall market.

What it means for growers
• Make decisions with conservative assumptions.
• Stress-test budgets against low-demand scenarios.
• Reassess capital projects through a realistic, slow-growth lens.

Younger consumers are drinking less alcohol overall, and pandemic-era purchasing spikes have normalized. While older demographics continue to value wine, the pipeline of new high-frequency wine drinkers is narrower than it once was.

What it means for growers
• Vineyard strategy should focus on quality-driven, premium positions.
• Don’t rely on demographic growth to drive future demand.