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 wineries, growers, industry associations and service providers with insightful market research and analytics that will help position them for success in the new era for wine.
Vintage Economics publishes a series of reports delivering insights and analytics on the dynamic Pacific Northwest wine industry and provides customized metrics and competitive intelligence on the industry, market trends, and the region's wineries, brands and vineyards. The firm also offers research and advisory services including strategic assessments, market analysis and forecasting, customized market and industry research, and data analytics.
See the Vintage Economics blog for commentary on topics of both local and national interest. Please contact Chris Bitter 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
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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 developed a series of analytical reports focused on the Pacific Northwest wine industry.
In addition to his analytical expertise, Chris is an accomplished speaker and will be delivering an address on Washington wine industry trends at the upcoming Washington Winegrowers Convention in February.
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.
The Washington Wine Shipment Report
The 3Q 2018 Issue is Available Now
The Washington Wine Shipment Report is a quarterly publication that provides detailed analysis and metrics on shipments of packaged wines by Washington wineries as well as commentary on broader economic and wine market trends. The metrics are broken down by sales channel (in state, out of state, DTC) and winery size class. Trailing 3-and 12-month total shipment metrics are provided for the state's top 100 wineries.
The publication delivers the most timely and complete coverage of Washington wine shipment trends available. The metrics and insights provided in the report enable subscribers to discern shifts in demand early on, track the quarterly performance of Washington’s leading wineries, and situate Washington wine shipment trends within a broader market and economic perspective.
The report is offered as an annual subscription – new issues are released approximately five weeks after the end of the quarter. Download a sample copy.
Price: $600 / Small Businesses: $480*
Discounts are available on multiple report purchases (see below)
The Washington Wine Industry Review & Outlook
2019 Edition to be Released in Early March
This annual publication provides comprehensive coverage of Washington wine industry trends, including wine shipment metrics through year-end 2018 broken down by shipment channel and winery size class, winery performance benchmarks, individual shipment metrics for large wineries, winery and satellite tasting room counts, winery rankings, inventory and production trends, and analysis of the Washington wine and grape markets. It also offers in-depth interpretation of developments in the broader economy and wine market that will impact the industry in the year ahead.
The report provides Washington wineries, growers, and service providers with insightful market intelligence they can use to support better-informed and more strategic business decisions and gain an edge in a rapidly evolving and increasingly competitive marketplace. The content will also be valuable to outsiders seeking to achieve a nuanced understanding of the dynamic Washington wine industry and its evolution.
Download a description of the content here.
Regular Price: $500 / Small Business* Price: $400
Discounts are available on multiple report purchases (see below)
The Washington Winery Report
2019 Edition to be Released in Early March
The Washington Winery Report provides net production and wine and cider shipment totals for the 800+ Washington domestic winery licenses that recorded activity in 2018. More extensive metrics are provided for the 350+ wineries that produced or shipped at least 1,000 cases, including shipment metrics broken down by type and channel and three years of historical data on total shipments and net production. The report also includes Washington winery rankings based on a variety of metrics.
The report represents the most comprehensive source of intelligence available on Washington wineries. Wineries can apply the metrics to perform competitive analysis and benchmark performance relative to peers. The analytics will also be valuable to growers interested in monitoring the performance of current and prospective winery partners, service providers seeking to develop new business leads, or companies exploring M&A opportunities within Washington State.
Click the link to download a sample of the report.
Regular Price: $500 / Small Business* Price: $400
Discounts are available on multiple report purchases (see below)
Use the online store to purchase by credit card. If you would prefer to pay by check or are interested in the 2018 edition, please call 206-981-6885 or use the contact form to place your order.
*less than $5 million in total annual revenue
Washington Report Bundles
Save up to $480 on Multiple Report Purchases
Save 20% off the total price when purchasing any two reports or 30% if you buy all three Washington reports.Use the online store to purchase by credit card. You must place your order under the applicable "Bundled Pricing" heading to receive the discount.If you would prefer to pay by check, please call 206-981-6885 or use the contact form to place your order.Customized Metrics and Intelligence
Knowledge is Power
Leveraging its proprietary databases on the Pacific Northwest 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 for wineries include performance benchmarking and competitive analysis. Please click on the link to download a sample winery peer comparison report. Vintage Economics also provides regional performance benchmarks and winery metrics to industry associations and competitive intelligence to investors and lenders seeking to identify and evaluate potential acquisition targets within the region.
Please contact Chris Bitter for additional details and pricing.
Research and Consulting Services
Market Research and Strategy
The wine industry is currently facing an array of disruptive challenges that pose both opportunities and threats. Vintage Economics can prepare strategic assessments to help clients navigate the evolving market landscape and identify the most promising opportunities and salient risks for their business.
We can also design and execute customized research projects on topics and emerging trends of interest to our clients, ranging from demographic change to competition with cannabis, to help them achieve a nuanced understanding of their strategic implications.
Market Analysis and Forecasting
Market analysis is an indispensable tool in today’s hyper-competitive economic environment. A well-informed market study can provide a sound foundation for a variety of business decisions including production and pricing, tasting room site selection, planting/replanting, targeting markets for expansion, and winery and vineyard development and acquisitions.
Vintage Economics can deliver targeted market studies, including formal forecasts of supply, demand and prices, to help clients develop realistic financial assumptions and make better-informed and more strategic business decisions.
Data Analytics
The proliferation of "big" data tracking wine consumers, 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 target consumers, define consumers preferences, optimize pricing, and improve operational efficiency.
The information contained in this report is proprietary. Purchasers may distribute the report only to employees of their 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.