A few weeks back, friends of Adam were preparing for a trip to Napa Valley and having trouble determining which wineries to visit. Completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of tasting rooms in the region, the couple wanted to ensure they were hitting the right ones — especially considering each visit had to be booked ahead of time with a pre-paid deposit. And they’re not alone. At a time when tasting room visits are down and winemakers are attempting to figure out how to get people in, is it possible that consumers are simply suffering from decision fatigue? And that fatigue is made worse by having to pre-book and pre-pay before they even know if they’ll enjoy the wine or their time?
As the hospitality industry reopened after the pandemic, so many establishments shifted to this type of reservation model: Book ahead of time and give us your card to leave on file. However, Napa has yet to loosen the reigns, keeping the structure in place and making it more expensive and exclusive to get a seat at the table.
On this episode of the “VinePair Podcast,” Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the current state of wine tourism in Napa Valley. After a year of declining visitations, the trio speculate that the region as a whole was too quick to assume the post-pandemic landscape and model would be the new normal, instead of a strange outlier. Tune in for more.
Zach is reading: Has the Title ‘Master Sommelier’ Become a
