Forced to shutter their tasting rooms, U.S. wineries, which rely heavily on direct-to-consumer sales, are having to think fast on their feet.
Survey results released last week by the National Association of American Wineries painted a grim picture of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the wine industry.
Ten percent of the U.S. wineries responded, with the average respondent estimating a 63% decrease in sales during March. Anticipating business for April was also dark: on average, wineries expected a 75% decrease decline (with the median estimating an 80% loss).
If able to resume operations on April 30, the average business recovery time was estimated to be three months. That could be a big “if.”
