What LA Wine Buyers Are Looking For in 2026

Whether you’re selling wine to a restaurant, wine shop, or grocery store, the first step is getting in front of the wine buyer.

A wine buyer’s job is to put together a selection that interests their guests while also putting their own mark on the program. Most buyers are looking for a mix of crowd-pleasing wines and bottles that encourage their customers to explore—whether that means trying a new grape, region, producer, or style.

For restaurants, the food, atmosphere, and overall ethos of the place all play a role in shaping the wine list. A wine program at a neighborhood Italian restaurant in Los Feliz is going to look very different from one at a seafood restaurant in Venice.

Retail is different. The neighborhood matters, but so does what’s already on the shelf, who the store’s regular customers are, the price points that move, and what the buyer thinks is missing from the selection.

Either way, wine buyers are looking for very specific things when they consider bringing in something new.

And 2026 is an interesting moment to be buying wine. The broader wine market is still navigating declining sales and changing consumer habits, while drinkers continue to experiment with new grapes, regions, styles, and drinking experiences.

After years of selling wine throughout Los Angeles and talking to buyers across restaurants, wine shops, and retail, here are five things I’m seeing LA buyers look for when considering something new.

1. A Price That Makes Sense

This will never change: everyone is looking for value.

On retail shelves, the $25 bottle is still a sweet spot. It’s a price that many wine drinkers can justify for a bottle they’re opening on a Tuesday night. For a special occasion, they’re willing to spend more, but even at higher price points, value matters.

The question isn’t necessarily, “Is this cheap enough?” It’s “Does this bottle feel worth what I’m asking someone to spend?”

That distinction is especially important right now, when consumers are being more deliberate about where they spend their money.

2. What’s Your Story?

Any sommelier will tell you that one of the best ways to sell a bottle tableside is with a good story.

The same is true when you’re selling to a buyer.

Is there something unique about the winery, winemaker, vineyard, region, or way the wine is made? Give the buyer something they can pass along to their customer.

A great story doesn’t have to be complicated. It just needs to give someone a reason to remember the wine—and a reason to tell someone else about it.

3. Tell Me How It’s Farmed

In LA, how a wine is farmed matters.

There are grocery stores that want the wines they sell to reflect an organic, natural, or health-conscious focus. There are restaurants that are committed to natural wine. And there are buyers who simply want to know more about how the grapes are grown and what happens in the vineyard.

But here’s the important part: whatever you’re doing, be honest and transparent about it.

Organic? Tell me.

Practicing organic? Tell me.

Regenerative? Tell me what that actually means.

Sustainable? Explain how.

You don’t need to make your farming practices sound more impressive than they are. Buyers—and increasingly consumers—are asking better questions. Give them clear answers.

4. Give Me Something New and Fun

Buyers are constantly looking for something that will make their selection feel fresh.

That doesn’t necessarily mean the wine needs to be made from an obscure grape you’ve never heard of. It could be a new region, an unexpected blend, a different style, an interesting producer, or simply a bottle that makes someone say, “Wait, what is that?”

There is still plenty of curiosity in the wine market. Drinkers are experimenting with grapes, regions, blends, formats, and styles.

The key is that new has to be interesting, not just different.

5. Understand the Account Before You Call on Them

This might be the most important one.

Do your homework.

Before you walk into a wine shop, restaurant, or grocery store, understand who their customer is and what they’re already selling.

What does the neighborhood look like?

What’s the price range?

What wines are already on the shelves?

What’s on the restaurant’s wine list?

What’s missing?

What does the buyer seem to care about?

A wine that is perfect for one account can be completely wrong for another. And nothing makes a buyer tune out faster than a salesperson walking in with a generic pitch that has nothing to do with their business.

Don’t just ask, “Can I sell you this wine?”

Ask yourself first:

“Why would this particular account want this wine?”

LA Buyers Aren’t Just Buying Wine

At the end of the day, LA wine buyers aren’t just looking for good wine. They’re looking for wines that make sense for their business, their customers, and the story they’re trying to tell.

That’s why understanding the account matters so much. A great wine in the wrong place isn’t necessarily a great fit.

If you’re trying to enter the LA market, don’t start by asking:

“Who can I sell to?”

Start by asking:

“Where does my brand belong?”

That’s a much better place to start building a market.