""As the wine industry changes - with new consumer trends and changing demographics - we've realized that staying true to that mission is more important to us than compromising our standards in order to carry on. Rather than sell the brand and watch it become something different under new ownership, we have chosen to wind Arista down on our own terms.""
"The family cited structural challenges facing the wine industry, particularly for small producers. "The wine world is changing," the letter continues, noting that while Sonoma County will remain a premier wine region, "the realities of today's market makes it increasingly difficult for a small, family-run winery to continue consistently offering the calibers of wines we are known for.""
Arista Winery, a small family-run producer of premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Sonoma County's Russian River Valley, will make the 2024 vintage its final release. The McWilliams family completed a generational handoff less than a year earlier and cited structural challenges in the wine industry that make sustaining their quality-driven operation difficult. The family prioritized preserving quality over scaling or selling the brand and chose to wind Arista down on their own terms. Industry forecasts, including one from Silicon Valley Bank, estimate a multi-year correction in demand for wine and grapes.
Read at The Mercury News
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]