Gallo’s Britt West on Fixing Wine’s Relevance Problem and Recruiting the Next Generation

In this episode of Brave Commerce, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Britt West, chief commercial officer at Gallo, about what’s really behind wine’s recent decline—and what it will take to turn the category around.

Britt challenges common narratives around health trends and instead points to a more fundamental issue: Wine has failed to recruit the next generation of consumers. He breaks down how decades of premiumization created growth in the short term, but left a gap in long-term demand.

He also shares the playbook for rebuilding the category—from making wine more approachable and affordable to rethinking formats, cultural relevance, and how brands show up in everyday moments.

Key takeaways:

• Wine’s biggest challenge isn’t moderation. It’s a lack of new consumer recruitment.
• Approachability matters: Complexity and “insider knowledge” are barriers to entry.
• New formats and price accessibility can unlock trial and repeat customers.