This article explores themes connected to the panel discussion led by WSG at Wine Paris on February 9, 2026. Wine is one of the most culturally rich, emotionally resonant traditions in the world. It connects people and place like few earthly things can. Yet the wine industry finds itself on the edge of a precipice. Declining consumption, shifting demographics, climate chaos and fierce competition from spirits and non-alcoholic alternatives all call wine's future into question. External forces aren't the only culprits. Within the industry, wine education itself has unwittingly become part of the problem—actively contributing to the disconnect between wine and the people who might love it. 

Twenty years ago, Wine Scholar Guild began with a clear mission: to deepen the world’s understanding of France’s wines through education. It was 2005, and I was 23 years old, working as a trade attaché at the French Embassy in Washington, DC. This was a time of anti-French sentiment in the US, and French wine—something I knew to be an expression of place, people and culture—was caught in the crossfire.