The cost of customer acquisition in wine tourism is rising as demand softens and travel costs increase nationwide.
Over the past decade, wineries have shifted from relying on traditional distribution to building direct-to-consumer (DTC) relationships—offering curated experiences, club memberships, and destination tastings to attract and retain loyal customers.
But in 2025, the cost of acquiring a single wine consumer has reached unprecedented levels. With declining demand, growing competition, and the escalating cost of travel and hospitality, wineries face a challenging economic landscape where profitability is increasingly elusive.
Wine tasting, unlike mass-market hospitality services, caters to a relatively narrow demographic: consumers over the age of 35 with higher disposable income and an interest in wine culture. This niche appeal, once a strength, is now a liability in a climate where consumer preferences are shifting toward spirits, ready-to-drink cocktails, and wellness-oriented beverages.
Wineries must work harder than ever to cut through the noise, reaching potential guests through increasingly expensive digital channels—Google Ads, Instagram, influencer partnerships, SEO, and email marketing campaigns. Industry estimates place the average customer acquisition cost (CAC) for a single winery visit between $60–$120, depending on the region and the competition.
Add to that the friction of booking a tasting—often requiring advance reservations, prepayment, and limited availability—and wineries are left with fewer spontaneous visitors and more no-shows.
Wine consumption in the United States has declined steadily over the past three years, especially among millennials and Gen Z consumers. According to Silicon Valley Bank’s 2024 Wine Industry Report, overall wine sales dropped 2% year-over-year, with DTC growth nearly flat despite higher marketing efforts. The reasons are multifaceted: changing tastes, rising health consciousness, economic pressure on middle-income earners, and competition from non-wine alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages.
This softer demand means wineries are chasing a shrinking pool of interested visitors—often with higher marketing budgets and lower returns.
The cost to visit a wine region in the U.S. continues to climb, pushing many potential customers to delay or skip travel altogether.
Here’s what a typical weekend looks like for a couple visiting some of the top wine destinations in the US:
While some regions like Texas Hill Country remain relatively affordable, the upward trend in tasting fees, lodging costs, and travel expenses is undeniable. Visitors are spending more just to access the wine country experience—forcing wineries to deliver a higher level of service and value to justify those costs.
In the face of rising acquisition costs and waning demand, wineries must take a hard look at their customer acquisition strategy. Rather than casting a wide net with increasingly expensive and competitive ad channels, many are shifting to hyper-targeted marketing, focusing on return visits, club conversions, and high-lifetime-value customers.
One of the biggest mistakes wineries can make in a softening market is to pull back on marketing spend. While it may seem prudent during a downturn, data across industries shows that brands that continue to invest during lean times tend to gain market share and emerge stronger when demand rebounds. Instead of cutting budgets, this is the time to refine your message, improve targeting, and double down on cost-effective channels that deliver high intent and measurable results.
A smart way to stretch marketing dollars is by joining marketplace-style platforms like CellarPass, which provide immediate access to qualified wine consumers who are actively planning and booking wine country experiences. Unlike traditional CPC campaigns on Google or Facebook—which charge for exposure whether or not someone books—CellarPass connects your winery with travel-ready visitors who already intend to spend.
Marketplace platforms offer more than visibility—they deliver affordable, performance-based marketing solutions that are ideal for boutique and mid-sized wineries. By being part of a curated booking ecosystem, your brand benefits from shared visibility, wine trail promotion, and trusted consumer behavior.
Collaborative efforts such as joining your local DMO that organizes seasonal wine trails and regional passport programs such as Wine Road Sonoma County or Suisun Valley Vintners & Growers Association while signing up for booking platforms that specialize in the wine industry can significantly reduce CAC by pooling marketing resources and offering tangible value to guests—turning marketing dollars into actual bookings.
It’s also important to recognize that while many winery eCommerce platforms now offer basic reservation widgets, these tools are primarily transactional in nature. They allow a guest to book once they’ve already discovered your brand—but they do little to actually drive new traffic or expand your winery’s reach. In today’s environment of waning foot traffic and softer demand, wineries need more than just booking tools—they need solutions that bring the guest to them. That’s where platforms like CellarPass stand out. As a discovery and intent-based marketplace, CellarPass actively markets to qualified consumers, driving awareness and conversions from people who may never have found your tasting room otherwise. It’s not just about booking—it’s about growing your audience and increasing your share of voice in a highly competitive travel landscape.
The wine industry is facing a realignment—and with it, a wake-up call. As costs rise and casual visitors decline, smart wineries will focus not on cutting marketing, but on optimizing it. Platforms like CellarPass, passport programs, and collaborative marketing initiatives offer a scalable, efficient path forward. In times of contraction, visibility and intent-based engagement are everything. This is not the moment to shrink—it’s the moment to stand out.
