Wine, price and storytelling: where new audiences are won
Wine has not stopped attracting interest. In many cases, though, it has lost some of its immediacy: it does not always speak in a language that makes people want to taste it rather than keep their distance. That is an important distinction, because the issue is not only the product itself, but the way it is presented, explained and tied to certain occasions. When the story leans too heavily on technical vocabulary, famous labels and special moments, wine can start to feel like something to approach with caution instead of something that fits naturally into everyday life.
Camilla De Paolis, an oenologist and executive at ONAV, Italy’s national organization for wine tasters founded in Asti in 1951, has brought this point back into focus. Her reading is straightforward: among younger consumers, the issue is often less lack of interest than a certain unease with the way wine is talked about. And if the problem is language, the answer is not to change the wine itself, but to rethink tone, context and entry points.
Putting someone with a younger profile and experience in both research and production at the helm suggests a clear intention: to connect a long-established educational organisation with a more readable, less self-referential way of presenting its expertise. In that view, technical tasting is not just about famous names or already canonised bottles, but about learning to recognise value in less familiar labels, small producers and wines that do not immediately rely on recognition.
Price as part of the story
Another signal fits neatly into this picture: in Wine Enthusiast’s Best Buys 2026 selection, which is limited to wines priced at $20 or less at retail, 19 Italian wines appear. The figure does not prove a broader market shift on its own, but it reinforces an idea that is gaining ground across the sector: quality does not live only in the upper price brackets, and the relationship between value and price deserves as much attention as the collectible appeal of celebrated reds.
The point is not to set affordable wines against iconic ones. It is to recognise that price has become part of the editorial conversation around wine, because it speaks to access, curiosity and competence. Knowing how to read a label, or what to look for in a bottle, also helps consumers navigate lower price points without giving up quality. And that message works precisely because it does not ask the category to lower its standards — only to widen its field of vision.
In other words, today’s wine conversation seems less obsessed with absolute exclusivity and more attentive to how new drinkers can be brought in with fewer barriers. This is not democracy in the abstract, but a more legible path to choosing a bottle with confidence.
A clue from informal drinking occasions
A second clue comes from France, where in 2025 Prosecco was the fastest-growing wine by purchase volume in foodservice, up 22.6%. The figure comes from a French restaurant market that was declining overall in wine volume, which makes the result more notable, not less.
The point here is not to treat Prosecco’s performance as proof of a sweeping industry transformation. It is better read as a case that fits a broader pattern: wine tends to work more easily when it feels approachable, when it does not demand too much explanation, and when it fits less ceremonial moments. Prosecco captures that need well, thanks to an accessible profile and a flexibility that makes it suitable for more informal drinking occasions.
Taken together, these signals suggest a cautious but clear direction: the problem is not a lack of interest in wine, but the distance that sometimes separates people from the way wine is presented. In some cases, price helps reopen the door; in others, language matters more; almost always, context matters too. For a sector that wants to reach new audiences without losing depth, the key may lie here: making wine easier to encounter, without making it less interesting.
