Wine Is Not Lost—We Forgot How to Appreciate It

Wine didn’t fail. We did.  

As we know by now, the wine industry is struggling amid a neo-prohibitionist movement that insists any amount of alcohol is harmful. There’s little—if any—credible science to support these claims, but the damage to wine and spirits has already been done.

Somewhere between the rise of this propaganda and the boom in canned cocktails, we let wine slip from being a symbol of culture and craftsmanship into something we shun. We now to treat wine as a guilty pleasure instead of the refined, centuries-old art form that it is.

But wine is a luxury. It always has been. Burgundy and Bordeaux are not just regions—they’re benchmarks of precision, patience, and pride. Napa’s forest floor isn’t a metaphor—it’s the literal foundation of American winemaking excellence. And in Italy, winemakers continue to push boundaries, pouring their hearts into bottles like Tignanello, redefining what greatness can taste like.

Meanwhile, we chase convenience. We drink whatever’s cold, sweet, and fizzy in a can. We call it “fun” and “low effort.” But this shift says more about us than it does about wine. Wine hasn’t changed—our attention span has. Our willingness to slow down, to notice what’s in the glass, to understand why it’s special… that’s what’s gone missing.  

Even the ultra-luxury labels—Chateau Margaux, Harlan Estate—exist not to exclude, but to inspire. They hold the standard high so that a $20 bottle of Meiomi has a shadow to shine in. Greatness creates context, and context creates aspiration. When you pour something modest, you’re still connecting to that same lineage of craftsmanship and beauty.  

Wine isn’t meant to evolve into something that caters to our impatience. It’s meant to remind us what patience, skill, and taste look like when they mature. The melancholy surrounding the wine industry will fade as younger generations grow and come to understand the true essence of fermented grape juice.