About Vintage Economics
The wine industry is currently facing an array of disruptive challenges, ranging from demographic and generational change to competition with cannabis, that pose both opportunities and threats to wine-related businesses. Success in today’s rapidly evolving and hyper-competitive market environment demands a more systematic and strategic approach than ever before, informed by relevant data, rigorous analysis, and creative and critical thinking.
The mission of Vintage Economics, founded by Dr. Chris Bitter, is to provide insightful market research and analytics that enables clients to identify opportunities, make better informed business decisions, and position themselves for success in the new era for wine.
Based in Vancouver, BC, Vintage Economics has expertise in both the U.S. and Canadian wine markets and offers research and advisory services focused on market analysis, strategy and data analytics. The firm also produces research reports and provides customized metrics and intelligence on the Washington wine industry. Clients include Washington State Wine, Alexandria Nicole Cellars, Coyote Canyon Vineyard, Wineshipping and others.
See the Dr. Bitter's blog for commentary on topics of both local and national interest and subscribe to the Washington Wine Industry Update, a free quarterly newsletter. Please contact Chris for additional information, to arrange a consultation, or to inquire about speaking engagements.
Christopher Bitter, PhD
Founder and Wine Economist
Dr. Chris Bitter, founder of Vintage Economics, is a wine economist with more than twenty years of experience in market analysis and applied economics. His research has been published in a variety of national and international publications including the Journal of Wine Economics and he has delivered presentations at wine industry conferences around the globe.
Chris left his academic position in 2016 to launch Vintage Economics with the goal of providing market analysis and intelligence to help position clients for success in a rapidly evolving and increasingly competitive market environment. He has completed consulting assignments for a variety of organizations including the Washington State Wine Commission and is developing a series of analytical reports focused on the Pacific Northwest wine industry.
In addition to his analytical expertise, Chris is an accomplished speaker and recently delivered an address on Washington wine industry trends during the State of the Industry Session at the Washington Winegrowers Convention.Prior to launching Vintages Economics, Chris spent seven years on the faculty with the University of Washington’s Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies where his teaching and research focused on market analysis and valuation. Chris has also held senior positions as an economist and market analyst in the private sector with RREEF, a prominent commercial real estate investment advisor, and the Dorchester Group, a boutique consulting firm focused on complex valuation-related assignments.
Chris holds a Doctorate from the University of Arizona in Economic Geography with a minor in Agricultural and Resource Economics and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in Anthropology.
Reports and Metrics
Vintage Economics' Washington wine industry publications are designed to provide insightful market intelligence that supports better-informed and more strategic business decisions. Scroll down for report descriptions. We also provide customized metrics to meet customer's unique needs. Contact Chris Bitter for additional information.
The Washington Wine Industry Review & Outlook - 2020 Edition
Coming in March
The Review and Outlook delivers the most comprehensive coverage of the Washington wine industry available, including analysis of wine shipments broken down by sales channel and winery size category, inventory and production trends, winery and tasting room counts, and analysis of the state’s wine and grape markets. It also interprets developments in the broader economy and wine market that will shape the industry in the year ahead and contains winery rankings and individual shipment and production totals for Washington's 300+ largest wineries.
The report provides Washington wineries, growers, and service providers with metrics and insights that can promote better-informed and more strategic business decisions, which are more essential than ever in today’s rapidly evolving and hyper competitive market environment, as well as valuable intelligence on the industry’s performance, growth potential, and leading wineries for businesses and investors seeking to establish a presence in Washington State.
Click here for a detailed description of the report content.
Price: $375 for pre-orders placed before March 7 / $450 thereafter
Use the online store to purchase by credit card. If you would prefer to pay by check, please call 206-981-6885.
The Washington Wine Shipment Report
The 4Q 2019 edition will be released the first week of February
The Washington Wine Shipment Report is a quarterly publication that provides analysis and metrics on shipments of packaged wines by Washington wineries as well as commentary on broader economic and wine market trends. Shipments are broken down by sales channel (in state, out of state, DTC) and winery size class, and individual metrics are provided for Washington's 100 largest wineries.
The Wine Shipment Report enables subscribers to discern trend shifts early on, track the performance of Washington’s leading wineries, and situate Washington wine industry trends within a broader market perspective. Click the link to download a sample.
Price: $200
Use the online store to purchase by credit card. If you would prefer to pay by check, please call 206-981-6885.
Customized Metrics and Industry Intelligence
Knowledge is Power
Leveraging its proprietary databases on the Washington wine industry, Vintage Economics supplies customized metrics and intelligence on the region and its wineries, brands, and vineyards tailored to clients' unique needs.
Potential applications include:
- Winery performance benchmarking and competitive analysis.
- Targeting customers for grapes, services, and equipment sales.
- Identifying and evaluating acquisition targets.
Click here to download a winery metrics sample.Please contact Chris Bitter for additional details and pricing.
Research and Consulting Services
Separating the Signal from the Noise
Market Analysis & Strategy
Market analysis is an indispensable tool in today’s rapidly evolving and hyper-competitive market environment, but wine market data tends to be messy, incomplete and fraught with limitations that aren’t readily apparent. Vintage Economics separates the signal from the noise to helps clients achieve a nuanced understanding of the market and improve their competitive position within it.
We can prepare targeted market studies and forecasts to inform business decisions including market selection, production and pricing, planting, and acquisitions. Vintage Economics also executes broader strategic studies to assess the implications of market, economic, demographic and consumer trends and the opportunities and risks they pose.
Data Analytics
The proliferation of "big" data tracking consumer behavior, wine reviews, and sales, along with the growing volume of internal data wineries are collecting through their own POS software and customer databases, has the potential to transform the wine industry similar to the way that "Money Ball" revolutionized the business of baseball.
Vintage Economics leverages its database and analytical expertise to unlock insights that enable clients to more effectively define consumer preferences, target customers, optimize pricing, improve operational efficiency, and expand sales and profitability. We can also help clients to understand the limitations of data analytics and select appropriate data and service providers.
- The Washington Wine Industry UpdateClick the box to download a copy of Vintage Economics' free quarterly newsletterand sign up below to receive notification when new issues are released.
Purchase Reports
Washington Wine Industry Review & Outlook - 2020 Edition375.00Click the button below to purchase by credit card. If you would prefer to pay by check, please call 206-981-6885.
The report will be emailed in PDF format to the address provided upon release in mid-March.
Thank you for your order!Quantity
The Washington Wine Shipment Report - 4Q 2019200.00Click the button below to purchase by credit card. If you would prefer to pay by check, please call 206-981-6885.
The report will be emailed in PDF format to the address provided upon release in early February.
Thank you for your order!Quantity
The information contained in this report is proprietary. Purchasers may distribute the report only to employees of their immediate company and board members and consultants for use only on projects specific to the purchaser’s company. No portion of the report may be reproduced or published in any form without prior written consent from Vintage Economics.