Burgers, Bacon, Brunch: How A Napa Valley Winery Courts Younger Drinkers

Forbes

17-06-2025

Chocolate tasting at Priest Ranch in Yountville.
The U.S. wine industry is confronting a generational slowdown. For the third consecutive year, volume sales declined, and early 2025 numbers suggest the trend is continuing. According to Silicon Valley Bank's annual State of the U.S. Wine Industry report, younger consumers are not replacing the Baby Boomers who once drove premium wine sales, especially in the Napa Valley wine market. Instead, many are shifting to spirits, low-alcohol alternatives, cannabis, or abstaining altogether. According to Sovos ShipCompliant and WineBusiness Analytics, direct-to-consumer (DTC) wine shipments across the U.S. fell by 10% in volume and 5% in value in 2024 — the sharpest drop since 2010.
In Napa and Sonoma, the declines have been more severe. DTC shipments from the two counties fell by 12% in 2024, and off-premise wine sales across the broader North Coast region remain roughly 12% below pre-pandemic levels, asserts North Bay Business Journal reporting from the North Coast Wine Industry Conference.
Rising tasting fees, luxury positioning, and by-appointment-only formats have pushed the winery experience out of reach for many younger consumers. As visits become shorter and less spontaneous, and as walk-in discovery has largely disappeared from the Napa Valley wine trail, producers who once relied on steady tourism are discovering that the old model no longer provides consistent results.
Amid this market shift, Priest Ranch, a small producer based in Yountville, has taken a different approach. Rather than scaling back, the winery is expanding how it engages with visitors, particularly those under 45.
CEO Judd Wallenbrock and his team have a strategy that centers on creating low-pressure entry points for guests who may not identify as traditional wine consumers. Food, music, and humor are part of the toolkit.
The casual rooftop space at Priest Ranch in Yountville has a fire pit.
Priest Ranch produces a range of wines, from whites like Sauvignon Blanc and Grenache Blanc starting around $30 to full-bodied reds that stand up to smoked and grilled meats. While not exceptionally expensive for the Napa zip code, reds start in the $60 range, like the 2022 Priest Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon, and run upwards of $150 for the 2021 Snake Oil made from 100% Cabernet. The economics of Napa drive this pricing, which, for many younger Americans, remains out of reach or a special occasion luxury.
Faced with shifting consumer behavior, Priest Ranch began exploring how to engage guests differently, starting not with wine, but with how people experience it. That shift took shape in 2020, when the restaurant space next to its Yountville tasting room became available. Rather than lease it out, the team opened The Kitchen at Priest Ranch, a casual daytime café that also serves as an event space and culinary lab.
'We launched with an approachable breakfast and lunch menu,' says Wallenbrock, 'which also opened the door to private catering opportunities and cultural marketing events in the evening, always rooted in our philosophy of bringing together wine, food, and the arts.'
From the start, the concept was shaped by the makeup of Priest Ranch's customer base. 'The market told us what we needed to know,' Wallenbrock says. 'Our customer base already skews younger and more diverse, just like our team, so making that connection came naturally.'
The space itself — functioning as a tasting room and gathering space rather than a full-scale winery — encouraged a more casual approach. Guests can opt for a creative bacon-and-wine pairing with the brand's big, bold reds or just stop in for a sandwich and a glass. That flexibility has allowed Priest Ranch to foster a different kind of relationship with visitors, one that's less tourism-focused and more community-driven.
The Kitchen now anchors a full slate of programming that ranges from Thursday night concerts and guest chef pop-ups to seasonal speaker events and informal competitions like the annual Smashburger Smackdown. These events serve as both a local draw and an extension of the brand's hospitality philosophy.
'Our goal is for people to discover the excellence of our wines, share them, and become advocates,' Wallenbrock says. 'But to do that, we have to speak to consumers through their lens, not just our own.'
That perspective also informs Priest Ranch on the Road, which brings their bacon pairings and terroir tastings to homes, offices, and country clubs around the country. It's another way to lower the barrier to entry and reach people in more familiar environments. 'We're not a hard-sell kind of winery,' Wallenbrock says. 'Once guests engage with our team, our wines, and our food, we let the quality speak for itself.'
A family-style dinner is part of Priest Ranch's "meet the consumer where they're at" philosophy.
Priest Ranch has broadened its perspective on the concept of hospitality in Napa. That includes events that reflect the diversity of its team and guests, from drag brunches during Pride Month to global tasting menus with visiting chefs and music nights spotlighting emerging local artists.
'Events like the one we host during Pride Month are designed to celebrate and support a broad community,' Wallenbrock says. 'They're one of the many ways we show up for all communities, creating a welcoming, inclusive, and joyful space.'
Inside the tasting room, that same spirit carries through. Instead of formal education or technical lectures, staff often prompt guests to think about wine in personal terms, like what music they'd pair with Cabernet Sauvignon or who they'd want to share a bottle with. The approach invites curiosity and creates a more playful attitude toward an overly serious beverage.
Somerston Estate invites guests on ATV tours to see vineyards firsthand.
At the 1,682-acre Somerston Estate, where Priest Ranch grows its fruit, sustainability is deeply embedded in how the property is farmed and maintained. Director of Vineyard Operations Jame Knoblock oversees a range of long-term practices, including solar-powered irrigation pumps, compost and biochar applications, limited tilling, and rotational grazing with sheep and goats.
'A truly sustainable operation involves many interconnected efforts — replenishing aquifers, maintaining healthy soils, and actively working to reduce our carbon footprint,' Knoblock says.
The winery is Napa Green certified, and the vineyard is working toward certification through the LandSmart program. Some of the estate's irrigation and water pumps already run on solar power, with more infrastructure planned.
These efforts aren't front and center in the tasting room, but they often come up when guests ask about the environment. Visitors to the estate can tour the vineyards in open-air ATVs for a firsthand look at how the land is managed.
For younger guests especially, who are more likely to ask about farming practices, it's a meaningful point of connection. 'It's easier to talk about these things when you can show people,' Knoblock says.
Bacon pairings are a big hit at the Yountville tasting room.
While Priest Ranch doesn't position itself as a disruptor, the adjustments the team has made reflect an understanding of where the market is heading and how to tackle it. As wine competes with other beverages, the brand has invested in experiences that feel less performative and more relaxed and participatory.
'We're starting to see regulars,' Wallenbrock notes. 'People who bring friends. People who treat this as their neighborhood spot.'
As Wallenbrock explains, Priest Ranch wants wine to fit into daily life without requiring reverence or ritual. Becoming a place to grab a glass on a weeknight— akin to a neighborhood wine bar or a brewery tasting room serving as a local gathering space — is one tactic the Napa Valley wine industry needs more of.