California’s future is in focus at the Napa Valley Fine Wine Summit

Thought leaders talk to journalists, academics and industry leaders

PUBLISHED ON November 21, 2022

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — For the first time in their history together, the Wine Institute and Napa Valley Vintners brought together more than 125 key thought leaders at The Future of Fine Wine: California, to explore California’s role in the rapidly evolving and increasingly competitive future of global fine wine. The Summit was held on November 17, 2022 at the Culinary Institute of America in Greystone, St. Helena, California.

“This meeting was a new starting point for all involved and began to open up ideas about the dynamic consumer experience of fine wine,” said Honoré Comfort, vice president of international marketing at the Wine Institute. “With California’s wine exports at more than $1.4 billion and on target to increase to $2.5 billion over the next decade, it is critical that this particular community sets course to expand the global fine wine market.”

Under the leadership of Polina Vikar, the company’s executive director ARENI Global, a fine wine think tank with a mission to help companies and decision makers build a sustainably safe and prosperous industry, the summit sessions offered a deeper understanding of California’s potential role in the global fine wine market, informed new consumers and explored the role of sustainability in California’s wine industry community.

Participants and panelists included a range of fine wine visionaries, educators, innovators and journalists such as wine writer and educator Elaine Chukan Brown, Opus One CEO Christopher Lynch, Spottswoode Winery CEO Beth Novak Milliken, wine author Karen McNeil, Decanter’s Clive Pursehouse and much more. You can view panel items, speakers, and topics here.

“The world is changing so fast,” Vicar said. “It is critical that everyone involved in the fine wine ecosystem understands how these profound transformations affect the future of fine wine production and distribution, and how these changes create both risks to be managed and opportunities to be seized.”

The results of the day will set the stage for future conversations and research, helping to build the presence of California wine in the global fine wine market and strengthen the Wine Institute’s 10-year strategy to continue to grow US wine exports. California produces 95% of all US wine exports and is the fourth largest wine producer in the world after Italy, France and Spain.

– Wine Institute