On today's show, Jessica gets together a group of wine and beverage journalists for a roundtable discussion on the state of the wine industry. Each journalist has an interesting and well-researched perspective on various angles of the industry that they have been reporting on throughout the year. From declining wine sales, producers recalibrating business models, innovative ways brands have connected with consumers, eco-labeling, tariffs, and what to look for in 2026, this episode has it all.

Our panel and the relevant articles they have written on the state of the industry:

Shana Clarke (based in NYC):

https://vinepair.com/articles/what-the-wine-industry-needs-right-now/

https://daily.sevenfifty.com/insights-from-our-2025-beverage-industry-career-and-salary-report/

https://substack.com/@shanaspeakswine

Kate Dingwall (based in Toronto):

https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/industry-news/california-wine-production-plummets/

https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/industry-news/trump-tariff-price-impacts/

Kathleen Willcox (based in New York)

https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/10/how-to-win-wine-sales-in-a-losing-market/

https://wineindustryadvisor.com/2025/10/07/next-gen-wine-win-over-the-modern-consumer-through-influence-identity-and-occasion/

https://kathleenwillcox.substack.com/

On today's show, Mark and Jessica kick off the holiday season and head out to the Texas Hill Country to check out an over-performing winery, Elisa Christopher. They sit down with the owner/ winemaker, Elisa Jones, who is quickly making a name for herself in the Texas industry as a leader for quality sparkling wine both under her own label as well as a custom disgorging facility for other wineries. They chat about Elisa's previous career in intelligence with the Department of Defense as well as all the challenges of setting up a dedicated in-house disgorging facility and growing Texas grapes for sparkling wine production. Mark and Jessica are excited to continue to follow the evolution of Elisa Christopher wines and the overall sparkling segment of Texas wines.

Check out Elisa Christopher Website Here

Check out the Another Bottle Down Episode on the Texas Vintners Cup here.

On today's show, Mark and Jessica have a meandering conversation based on some more abstract concepts that Mark has be exploring. While it was originally intended to be a conversation about learning wine and wine education, Mark takes a different course and explores the relationship between wine and art. "Do we find beauty in wine" and "can imperfect wines be attractive," are some of the larger topics Mark and Jessica tackle.

Cited:

What Art Does: An Unfinished Theory, by Brian Eno