There Could Be a Wine Shortage This Holiday Season
One winery executive warns that the supply chain may be disrupted.
Listen, if you're like me, holidays aren't always the most wonderful time of the year. Between making plans, spending your savings on food and gifts, and playing peacemaker between warring family members, it can be a stressful experience. The way to get through it all usually involves drinking a glass (or several) of wine. But this year, amid fears of supply chain issues and shortages, even the most essential items might be harder to find.
Mike Eaton, the vice president of supply chain management at the Jackson Family Winery, says that big wineries are having difficulty moving wine because of shipping and labor shortage issues. "It's starting to catch up to, I think, everybody," Eaton said in an interview. "We have plenty of wine in our cellar. And it's just a matter of increasing the rigor in our planning process to make sure that nobody's out of stock."
And while Eaton is sounding the alarm, even he admits that the problem hasn't reached crisis levels. Pandemic-related labor shortages are affecting many industries, including trucking. And with a shortage of truckers and other shipping-related issues, a backlog of products is piling up. And while some goods will be harder to find or cost a bit more than usual, there has been a dramatization of how severe the issue will be.
Yes, our wine, turkey, and bacon will be affected by the supply chain issues across the country, but don't start panic buying just yet.
Opheli Garcia Lawler is a staff writer at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter @opheligarcia and Instagram @opheligarcia.