Cannabisalization beyond share of buzz

In class, we've talked about the concept of "share of buzz." This means that winemakers compete not only with other winemakers but also with other products that generate a feeling of buzz, like beer, spirits, and cannabis. We've discussed how these products all compete for money from consumers. It is logical that a rapid increase in craft beer, for example, has happened as people correspondingly spend less on wine.

I recently came across this article in Politico: "Wine vs. weed in Napa Valley" which speaks to another resource constrained by "share of buzz:" land & soil. As the author writes, "grape growers worry that pot won't pair well with the terroir they have spent a century and a half cultivating."

It has become attractive to plant cannabis in Napa, where the land is so expensive that few other crops make economic sense. As this has grown, tensions have risen between cannabis farmers, who want to create a Napa-like brand for high-end cannabis, and existing winemakers, who worry about the threat cannabis could pose to the brand of wine they produce and the soil they cultivate. The reputation of Napa Valley is seen as desirable to cannabis producers but also a valuable asset to protect for winemakers.

Beyond a brand issue, winemakers have another problem: the drifting smell of marijuana. They also describe the impact that the smell of marijuana could have on the wine drinking experience, "'tasting wine is 80% olfactory,' said Blair Pence, owner of Pence Vineyards in the Santa Ynez Valley. 'You wipe that out when you've got marijuana permeating the air." This winemaker has gone as far as to threaten to plant hemp on their property, which would pollinate any nearby marijuana and render it impotent.

While I don't have the technical background to evaluate whether the winemakers' claims are valid, I found this article interesting in substantiating the debate. I suspect that these tensions will only continue to rise, which I hope we will discuss in the cannabis discussion in our final class.

Sources:
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/18/wine-vs-weed-in-napa-valley-115322