Market rich in strategic buying opportunities

With 2026 already six weeks old, this month’s California Report relays the bulk wine and grape activity levels that we have seen since the turn of the year: What has been receiving buyer interest, and at what kind of pricing? As well as updating our monthly bulk inventory charts, we drill down deeper into the inventory we have listed with us, finding the availability picture a little more nuanced than might be assumed.

Cashflow is now an almost universal concern throughout the industry, and late payment has become a common issue. Many growers are minimizing farming until their vines are contracted, some uprooting altogether. Buyers – outside of those fulfilling private-label programs – are wary of committing; some even have wine or grapes to sell. Adding to buyer hesitancy is the lack of evidence that case-good sales are stabilizing – this month’s report has the latest from SipSource on US wholesaler depletions – and the significant adjustments underway in the distributor/wholesaler channel: A churn in operators and a rationalization of SKUs is clogging up a supply pipeline already clogged by a high inventory-to-sales ratio.

Many have already tempered their expectations for 2026, considering 2027 the year that could herald a more stable grape and bulk wine picture. However, given the price, quality and availability of what is currently on the market, now is an opportune time for buyers to secure grapes or bulk wine that, ultimately, hit the price-quality sweet spot the next generation of wine consumers – more indebted, less flush with discretionary cash than its predecessors – is looking for.

While “gateway” products such as wine-based RTDs, and innovations in packaging and messaging, can help turn the tide of consumer perception, value-oriented wines – possessing a taste profile the consumer actively enjoys, priced where the consumer is prepared to pay – are ultimately what will sustain growth in the long term. Current availability provides plenty of scope for those buyers who believe they have identified, or are seeking to fulfil, a growth opportunity.

Read the full Ciatti California Report for February.

Bulk wine suppliers are invited to list their 2025 wines with us and send in samples, and ensure they have their 2024 wines on our inventory list, so we are able to harness buyer interest as it arises.

Grape growers are recommended to inform us of the grapes they may have available next year, in 2026, so we can work to match-up suppliers with buyers.

Please contact Mark (+1 415 630 2548 / mark@ciatti.com), Michael (+1 415 630 2541 / michael@ciatti.com) or the Ciatti Customer Account Team (cargroup@ciatti.com).