The Tech Resisters Are Coming. Wine Should Welcome Them.
Why the Rise of the Analog Economy Could Become Wine’s Biggest Opportunity in Two Decades
This post is the exact opposite of my usual AI-centric visibility push. Yes, AI is important, but let’s observe another movement afoot.
Every twenty years or so, culture seems to change its mind.
Fashion revives what it once rejected. Music genres return from obscurity. Design trends reappear. Consumer behaviors that seemed permanently replaced suddenly regain relevance.
The pattern is so common that marketers, sociologists, and trend forecasters have long observed what is often called the “20-year cycle.” Consumers rediscover and reinterpret the past, not as a copy, but as a response to the shortcomings of the present.
Today, we may be witnessing the beginning of one of those shifts.
After two decades defined by smartphones, social media, streaming, automation, algorithms, and now artificial intelligence, a growing number of consumers are intentionally moving in the opposite direction.
Trend forecasters at The Future Laboratory have labeled them “Tech Resisters,” consumers who are actively pushing back against addictive technology, embracing analog alternatives, and seeking more intentional ways to live. Their research suggests that after years of prioritizing frictionless convenience, many people are beginning to question whether convenience alone creates fulfillment.
At the same time, multiple researchers and media outlets have documented the rise of what is now being called the “Analog Economy,” a rapidly growing market built around tangible experiences, physical products, community participation, and real-world connection.
For the wine industry, this trend should not be viewed as a curiosity.
It may represent one of the most important cultural opportunities the category has seen in decades.
The Analog Economy Is Not About Nostalgia
Many observers initially dismiss analog trends as nostalgia.
That interpretation misses what is actually happening.
Consumers are not simply longing for the past, the cliche of ‘simpler times.’
They are searching for relief from the present.
A Fortune analysis published earlier this year estimated that Gen Z’s growing embrace of analog experiences already represents at least a $5 billion opportunity. The spring 2026 article pointed to the remarkable growth of vinyl records, physical media, film photography, print products, live experiences, and other forms of consumption that prioritize presence over convenience.
What makes the trend particularly fascinating is that many participants never lived through the eras they are embracing.
Gen Z did not grow up buying vinyl records.
They did not spend their childhoods using film cameras.
They did not experience a pre-smartphone social world.
Yet they increasingly seek products, hobbies, and experiences associated with those periods.
Why?
Because the appeal is not nostalgia.
The appeal is intentionality.
A physical record demands attention.
A printed book reduces distraction.
A dinner with friends cannot be paused, skipped, or optimized.
An afternoon wine tasting requires presence.
The value comes from the experience itself.
As one wave of research after another reveals growing consumer fatigue with constant connectivity, subscriptions, notifications, and algorithmic feeds, the appeal of analog alternatives becomes increasingly understandable.
In the recent Fortune report, 87% of Gen Z respondents reported experiencing some level of subscription fatigue. Meanwhile, trend researchers are documenting growing consumer desires to reduce screen time, limit digital distractions, and create more meaningful social experiences.
Consumers are not rejecting technology.
They are seeking balance.
And that distinction matters.
The Return of Human-to-Human Experiences
The most important insight for wine professionals is that the analog economy is fundamentally a community trend.
People are not simply buying objects.
They are seeking interaction.
The Future Laboratory’s Tech Resisters report describes a growing desire for slower, more analogue ways of living, driven in part by concerns about technology’s impact on attention, relationships, and wellbeing.
Business Insider recently reported on the growing popularity of retro technology among younger consumers, including CDs, DVDs, digital cameras, and even flip phones. But the deeper story was not about the products themselves.
It was about the experiences those products facilitate.
Playing music together.
Sharing physical media.
Gathering in person.
Participating instead of scrolling.
Researchers consistently point toward the same underlying motivation: consumers want more opportunities for authentic human connection.
If that sounds familiar, it should.
Wine has been facilitating human connection for thousands of years.
Wine’s Original Purpose Is Suddenly Modern Again
The wine industry often talks about terroir, sustainability, direct-to-consumer marketing, and demographic challenges.
Those conversations matter.
But they can sometimes distract us from a simpler truth.
Wine was never designed to compete with social media.
Wine was never intended to be consumed in isolation.
Wine emerged as a social product.
Its historical role was to bring people together.
The bottle was never the destination. The gathering was. Today, we’ve witnessed the rebirth of these gathering places globally with the $200MM redesign of Mondavi Winery, and the soon to be opened magnificent reimagine Beaulieu Vineyard remodel in celebration of their 125th anniversary.
For centuries, wine occupied a central place in celebrations, meals, conversations, festivals, community events, and family traditions. Long before the term “experiential marketing” existed, wine was creating experiences. Long before brands talked about “building community,” wine was helping communities gather. What once appeared old-fashioned now feels remarkably contemporary.
As consumers increasingly seek experiences that feel tangible, authentic, and emotionally rewarding, wine’s traditional strengths become relevant again.
Not because wine changed.
Because culture did.
Why Younger Consumers May Surprise the Wine Industry
For years, conventional wisdom suggested younger consumers only wanted speed, convenience, and digital engagement.
Recent evidence suggests something far more nuanced.
Business Insider recently explored Gen Z’s fascination with a pre-smartphone world portrayed through popular culture, noting widespread interest in more intentional, face-to-face ways of living. Psychologists studying nostalgia point out that younger generations often develop emotional connections to eras they never personally experienced because those periods symbolize values they feel are missing today.
The attraction is not really about the 1990s.
Or the 1980s.
Or vinyl records.
Or disposable cameras.
The attraction is about authenticity.
The attraction is about community.
The attraction is about being present.
A shared bottle among friends remains one of the simplest and most enduring forms of human connection.
The Winery as the New Community Hub
The wineries that thrive over the next decade may look surprisingly different from those that dominated the last one.
Their competitive advantage may not come from inventory, distribution, or advertising budgets alone.
It may come from their ability to create belonging.
Imagine wineries becoming modern community centers.
Places where people learn. Places where people gather. Places where friendships begin. Places where local culture thrives. Places where food, music, storytelling, education, and hospitality converge.
This does not mean abandoning innovation.
It means using innovation to support human experiences rather than replace them.
The most successful winery events of the future may be intentionally small.
Intentionally local. Intentionally participatory.
I believe the wineries and winery teams that understand this shift will be exceptionally well positioned.
Why the Next Twenty Years Could Look Different
The wine industry has spent much of the past decade defending itself against narratives of decline.
Changing consumption habits. Competition from alternative beverages. Health and wellness trends. Economic uncertainty. These challenges are real.
But they may also obscure a larger cultural realignment taking place beneath the surface.
The same forces driving consumers toward vinyl records, bookstores, local experiences, community events, and analog hobbies are creating favorable conditions for wine’s resurgence.
Not necessarily the wine industry of the past.
A modernized version.
More inclusive.
More approachable.
More diverse.
More experiential.
Less focused on exclusivity.
More focused on participation.
The future wine consumer may not be seeking prestige.
They may be seeking presence.
That distinction could change everything.
Wine’s Most Important Competitive Advantage
Artificial intelligence will continue advancing.
Digital platforms will continue evolving.
Algorithms will become more sophisticated.
But none of those developments change a fundamental reality.
People still crave human connection.
In fact, the more digital life becomes, the more valuable authentic human experiences may become.
That is why the rise of the Tech Resisters and the Analog Economy should be viewed as an opportunity, not a threat.
The industry’s challenge is not inventing something new.
It is rediscovering what made wine culturally significant in the first place.
For winery marketers, that realization creates a compelling opportunity. The stories wineries tell through hospitality experiences, blogs, newsletters, tasting rooms, social channels, and educational content can reinforce the very values consumers are increasingly searching for: belonging, connection, authenticity, and community.
Ironically, the future of wine may not depend on becoming more digital. It may depend on reminding consumers why gathering around a table remains one of humanity’s most enduring technologies.
And if the analog economy continues its rise, wine may discover that the next great growth opportunity was hiding in its history all along.