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104 p r a c t i c a l w i n e r y & v i n e ya r d n O v e M B e r 2 0 1 4 w i n e b u s i n e s s ■ Consumers continue their variety- seeking behavior, so we anticipate im- ports will remain a viable and growing segment for the long-term. Variety is the spice of life, and obviously we want to see wine at every table at every meal, and different foods work well with dif- ferent wines. We recognize that the U.S. market will remain a very attractive one for import wines, and so the pressure on California wines is not going to go away any time soon. The wine industry's consumption is growing steadily, and California wines will continue to be a very relevant, large and important segment for the future at all price points. California wines can compete very effectively because of their value for money. The taste delivery for the young consumers and especially for the baby boomers is on par, if not better, than a lot of wines that come from other countries. ■ Foreign wines are going to continue t o f e e d g l o b a l p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n t h e California wine shelves, if not the U.S. wine shelves. International wines will continue to grow and eventually outpace California wines in mature areas where California has been. Hopefully, at the end of the day, we are competing on the basis of the quality/value proposition, and people will just need to be mindful as brand owners of what you stand for and deliver a value that is being received and communicated well to your consum- ers in order to maintain what limited brand loyalty we have. ■ We are going to continue to see imports expand their share. Specifically because, while we have had some really good harvests the past couple of years, if you look at per-capita growth, it does seem, at some point, that imports will continue to grow and fill the gap of the mounting pressure on domestic vineyards. ■ I do not see it changing much, frankly. If you are talking about fighting varietals, the imports, over time, are going to re- place a lot of the California volume be- cause it is too expensive to grow grapes today and make wine in California given all the regulation. In the higher price categories it is not going to go up or down in any dramatic fashion. ■ I do not feel a lot of pressure in our price point, and in part because Bordeaux in general has been so outrageously ex- pensive over the years. It has not been a big problem for us in Cabernet, and I do not see a big problem from White Burgundy for Chardonnay. Q: What will be the hottest issues in the next five to 10 years? ■ The overriding issue to me is the water, everything else looks pretty positive. It all gets down to what happens with the water supply. Mine? I cannot predict the weather, all I know is we are going to sell wine. If they do not have grapes here we will import wine from overseas. Wine is going to be drunk here. We are going to make sure we get our share of that business. You asked about the California wines competing with inter- national wines. If we have the grapes, we will do very well. It just all depends on the grape supply. ■ We are going to go through red blotch. Red blotch is going to continue to rear its head in a lot of different vineyards. Water is the obvious, and your question of price competitiveness. In the wine industry there is no brand loyalty. It is very different from beer, where if you are a Coors drinker, you are a Coors drinker. ■ Climate change, possibly, is a big one. It will redistribute where you grow cer- tain varieties, it does not eliminate the varieties. It just changes the areas where they do better. ■ Technology is allowing growers to Master the art of winemaking Learn the scientifc framework for successful winemaking with UC Davis Extension's internationally renowned online winemaking certifcate program. The program is designed to provide you with: • Unparalleled learning from world-class instructors • Academic theory and real-world, commercial application • Critical networking opportunities • Convenient and fexible online learning Visit our website and start pursuing your passion today. extension.ucdavis.edu/winemakingcert ERROIR See what our students have accomplished.