Wine-Searcher reported on Monday what might be welcome news for many oenophiles partial to big, robust expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon: Napa wineries are considering lowering their prices. For years, the storied California region reigned supreme as the crown jewel of America’s wine industry, and vintners could use its superior status to rake in tons of cold, hard cash.
Yet as economic uncertainty has increased since the COVID-19 Pandemic, many wine lovers and tourists alike have tightened their belts, and Napa’s prohibitive prices have led to a decreased turnout in tasting rooms.
“The impression among many today is that all tasting room fees are, in general, too high, which keeps people away from wine country,” longtime wine consultant and publicist Tom Wark said, according to Wine-Searcher. “My view is that a concerted, well-publicized, region-wide lowering of fees is what will bring more people to a region’s wineries.”
In 2022, VinePair reported on Napa’s outrageous prices, sharing that tasting room fees increased by 35%, surpassing the $100 mark. The outlet reported that the cost of an average tasting in Napa rose to $81.
Many wineries within the storied region held reservation-only policies and eliminated more casual walk-ins. Although such policies lent an air of exclusivity to the area, customers eventually took notice and stopped coming. Premium vineyards like Silver Oak, Trinchero, Turley and Newton Vineyard responded by simply closing their tasting rooms, according to Wine-Searcher.
PlumpJack appears to be taking a different approach. The winery was founded in 1995 by John Conover and California Governor Gavin Newsom. To adapt, the winery is offering a $40 Estate Tasting Experience that includes some of the brand’s core Cabernet Sauvignons.
“We want to set an example for the rest of the industry,” Conover expressed according to Wine-Searcher. “Wine should be about sharing joy. Down the street, someone just introduced a $950 wine tasting experience, and we think that’s great. But we want to bring in a variety of people, and we want our wine to be as accessible as it is aspirational. We offer entry level Sauvignon Blanc at around $42 a bottle, and then go up into hundreds of dollars for reserve bottlings.”
PlumpJack’s line of thinking might turn things around for the beleaguered wine region. In January 2025, The Silicon Valley Bank Report for the state of the US Wine Industry reported that the wealthy Boomer generation has capped out some of its spending on premium wines, and younger generations have different budgetary constraints. The report shared that the average age of visitors to Napa Valley dropped from 46 to 40 in 2025.
Although it is generally a good thing to see younger customers flocking to a wine region, the outlet reported that younger customers tend to spend less on “luxury purchases.” They are more likely to spend their income on “new experiences” and often spend on “smaller-ticket luxuries,” which could explain why tasting rooms have seen a decrease in foot traffic.
“The wine industry is going through dynamic changes,” Conover expressed. “We need to reflect on how the business is changing, and how we can draw in new customers, while serving existing ones. It’s time to get back to fundamentals and introduce people to what we all love about wine, from the people behind it to, to the way we farm our vineyards. The second wine becomes a commodity, you lose the thing that makes it so special. It’s time to get back to fundamentals.”
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