Silicon Valley Bank’s (SVB) wine division, now part of First Citizens Bank, recently highlighted winery tasting room trends in its direct-to-consumer report.
A ‘standard’ winery tasting in Napa County averaged $81, compared to $38 in Sonoma County and $32 in Oregon, it found, based on 332 winery responses.
It also said the average retail price at Napa County wineries rose above $100-a-bottle in 2022, to $107.79. Plus, more US wineries were offering by-appointment tastings, and winery club memberships have continued rising.
What next for tasting room fees?
Whilst tasting prices vary widely, and some Napa wineries offer options well below the average cited above, the report said the US industry ‘has been on a long period of driving tasting fees higher, while adding extravagant experiences’.
Tasting room purchases in several key regions, including Napa, Sonoma and Oregon, have risen strongly in US dollar terms in the past decade, which is ‘a clear mark of success’, the report said.
It questioned whether fees would continue rising, however, adding, ‘A few wineries have stopped charging fees altogether, which may signal the end of the tasting fee arms race.’
Rob McMillan, founder of SVB’s wine division, told Decanter, ‘Back in the 1960s, wineries did not charge for tastings. Wineries were production facilities with walk-in sampling bars, not a point of sale.’
He said things changed when direct cellar door sales became more important to wineries. Higher bottle prices, reflecting investment in vineyards and winemaking, also contributed to higher tasting fees from the 1990s
