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California farmers are struggling to sell grapes as demand for wine drops

389 points · 987 comments · randycupertino

alexandre_m · 1790644533 · focus · HN ↗
> while young people are drinking less alcohol due to health and financial concerns
My observation is that gen-z spends less time socializing in real life, and drinking remains a social habit for the most part at a younger age. While they drink less, cannabis, vaping and psychedelics are on the rise.
It's a nice claim to say they are more responsible, but it tells an incomplete story.
1. BLKNSLVR · 1790659516 · focus · HN ↗
  My observation is that the young people who do drink aren't going for beers and wines, which are tastes that can take time to acquire, they're going for sweet liquors and premix cans of fizz.
  Getting Gen-z to even get close enough to the glass to smell a nice red is a challenge. And when they do, they seem to recoil rapidly.
  Anecdata only.
  1. willtemperley · 1790660970 · focus · HN ↗
    I'm not surprised.
    There's untold levels of chemicals in wine. Organic wine is BS in Europe, organic vineyards actually use more chemicals like giant quantities of copper sulphate. The US is actually a lot better than Europe in this regard.
    Source: My father owned a vineyard in France before he keeled over with a subarachnoid haematoma after drinking 3 glasses of Rose at lunchtime.
    anonzzzies · 1790661756 · focus · HN ↗
    And these things were cause and effect by some proof? Because there are plenty people who drink a bottle of white, red and/or rose for lunch here their entire lives to old age.
    lukan · 1790661947 · focus · HN ↗
    " Because there are plenty people who drink a bottle of white, red and/or rose for lunch here their entire lives."
    No one doubts that, but statistics are pretty clear, that those who do not do that, have a longer life.
    anonzzzies · 1790662674 · focus · HN ↗
    But is that alcohol or the other chemicals was my point; GP seem to imply it was the other chemicals; I doubt that. But yes, no alcohol would on average make you live longer.
    sillyfluke · 1790665155 · focus · HN ↗
    Not the parent, but I have heard of this as well.[0] The advice in the article is to try to drink wine that is 2010 or older.
    But I do raise my eyebrow at the suggestion that US wine is somehow in a better situation and am not inclined to believe it unless someone provides sources.
    [0] "Alarming’ increase in levels of forever chemical TFA found in European wines"
    <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/23/alarming-increase-forever-chemical-tfa-european-wines" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/23/alarming...
    willtemperley · 1790666695 · focus · HN ↗
    The labelling standards are a lot stricter in the US:
    <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/us-and-europe-have-different-definitions-of-organic-wine-46432" rel="nofollow">https://www.winespectator.com/articles/us-and-europe-have-di...
    sillyfluke · 1790668527 · focus · HN ↗
    Thanks, it'd be interesting if there was an empirical testing study that reflected how much the labeling prevents the chemical contamination like the one observed in europe.

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