Elite Traveler Summer 2024

LEADERS IN LUXURY WINE

Sustaining luxury

We like to think of great wine estates as being timeless. To name one example, the Marchesi Antinori family has thrived in wine for 26 generations. But last year, when another Napa icon, Joseph Phelps Vineyard, was sold, I started thinking about how fragile the future might be for luxury wineries. Faced with challenges like climate change and economic uncertainty, there’s the temptation for heirs and family members to cash in. Orchestrating a smooth transmission of a wine estate from

one generation to the next and sustaining its status demands dedication and commitment. But there’s much more. To stay on top requires frequent injections of new energy, research and evolution; a willingness to experiment; and bold innovations. That’s why the wine world’s leaders are bringing in the younger generation, investing in sustainability, training a new labor force to preserve techniques, fi nding fresh ways to connect with wine lovers, and looking to art and tourism as ways to sustain their best wines.

by ElinMcCoy