The Numbers
Number · Damien Wilson, Wine Business Institute at Sonoma State · May 27, 2026
U.S. wineries grew from about 8,000 to over 12,000 while production shrank
Roughly 8,000 U.S. wineries in 2015 grew to over 12,000 by 2023, while U.S. wine production fell from roughly 900 million gallons in 2017 to just over 700 million in 2025, according to Damien Wilson of Sonoma State's Wine Business Institute. It ran in the newsletter on May 27, 2026.
What it means for you
More producers are chasing a smaller, older, wealthier pool of buyers. Five out of six brands grow through new customers, not CRM, so a winery without a real acquisition engine is in a slow bleed.
Source
A three-step turnaround framework for U.S. wine brands, Damien Wilson, Wine Business Institute at Sonoma State