Mapping the New Normal in Northern California: Innovations in Wine Tourism After COVID-19

The pandemic lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 had a profound economic and social impact on Northern California tourism, traditionally a bell-weather region for tourist trends nationwide. Closures of indoor wine-tasting spaces and restaurants quickly led to crisis-driven innovations in online and outdoor experiences which are now staples in the reopened industry. Utilizing case studies of select Sonoma and Napa wineries and venues, this chapter will explore representative examples of successful post-pandemic trends, including educational programs in the vineyard and the small farm, online wine tastings (OWTs), self-serve wine bars, and emerging partnerships between wineries and cultural arts communities that expand the visitor experience. But should the pandemic take sole credit for the new normal in wine tourism, eco-tourism, or tourist travel in general? Sonoma Sustainable Tourism Observatory authors Pamela Lanier and Lora Templeton will present an argument that major shifts in consumer demographics and expectations were well underway before COVID-19. Utilizing contemporary research on the generational changes taking place in wine-consumer demographics and personalized case studies of select wineries and venues that innovated wine experiences beyond the traditional models of “elbows at the bar,” this chapter demonstrates that post-pandemic trends in Northern California’s wine tourism had their roots in consumer expectations that were overlooked or under-served until the lockdown gave them focus. The chapter illustrates how one tourist region’s quick and ultimately successful response to an existential crisis allowed it to introduce innovations that its audience was previously signaling a willingness to adopt. We aim to provide other tourism sectors with an on-the-ground, humorous perspective of the tumultuous pandemic era that provides an engaging model to examine their successful post-pandemic practices. The pandemic will always be a significant marker in industry shifts, but we argue that its impact should be examined as part of a greater timeline of changes in an industry’s target consumer demographic. A global crisis can be an effective agent of industry change, but why wait? Consumer demographics and expectations are always ready to guide us to the next innovation when we pay close attention.