Page 26 - Grapevine NovDec 2021

In The Winery

The Pandemic’s Impact on the

Wine & Spirits Industry

By: Quinton Jay
T he year 2020 was a complicated one for Fortunately, the U.S. seems to have since turned

the wine and spirits industry. According
a corner in the pandemic struggle, and most
to information published in Beverage
distilleries, and breweries (WDBs) that were able
Industry, the sale of wine at retail and convenience restaurants and other WS businesses like wineries,
stores grew by some 11.4% in multi-outlet stores to survive the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic’s
throughout the 52 weeks between December 1st, impact are now back open and able to serve cus-
2019, and November 29th, 2020, and champagne, tomers indoors, or at least in some form of hybrid
as well as other sparking wines, saw year-over-year indoor-outdoor seating arrangement. While this
growth by nearly 29%, topping sales at roughly $1.6 return to normalcy should help the WS industry
billion. experience an upswing capable of putting busi-
ness back on track, some industry experts are still
This boost to wine sales, however, could not fully analyzing the true depth of impact the pandemic
offset the losses incurred by many other businesses has had on the industry and the businesses in it,
throughout the wine and spirits (WS) industry. regardless of whether those businesses survived
the pandemic’s fallout or not.
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