It’s a tough time to run a winery.
Costs are rising—labor, glass, insurance, compliance, all of it, even the best-run wineries are feeling the pinch. You’re not imagining it. It’s harder to stay profitable right now, and everyone’s looking at the budget with a sharp eye.
But there’s one area where cutting back too far can quietly make things worse: IT support.
At a glance, it looks like an easy cost to trim. But when systems slow down, break, or stop talking to each other, the impact hits your team, your customers, and your revenue. And the fix ends up costing more than the support would have.
The Financial Pressure Is Real and It Is Industry-Wide
What used to be temporary trends are now becoming long-term concerns across the industry.
Bronco Wine Co. recently announced layoffs due to sustained cost pressures and a drop in demand (
SFGate). Even LVMH’s wine and spirits division known for names like Moët & Chandon is reducing headcount by 10% as luxury wine sales slow (
The Times).
The pressure isn’t just on the production side. Vineyard land values are slipping too, with some regions seeing drops as high as 33%, a clear sign that growth has stalled and consolidation is setting in (
Financial Times).
And in Napa, a region long considered immune to contraction, wineries are beginning to close permanently—a signal that the entire model is under strain (
San Francisco Chronicle).
All of this adds up to one thing: margins are under pressure like never before.
Why Cutting IT Support Can Backfire When Margins Are Tight
When you’re trying to make the math work, IT can seem like a quiet line item. If everything’s running, do you really need to keep paying for support?
But here’s the thing: systems fail. Usually at the worst time.
A tasting room POS outage on a busy Saturday. A production database that stops syncing during harvest. A compliance file that gets corrupted the day before a deadline. And if you’ve cut support, you’re left scrambling.
Even small hiccups in your technology setup can start costing more in staff time, lost sales, or emergency fixes than the support ever did.
What You’re Risking Without Consistent Support
When wineries cut or remove IT support, they often don’t notice the risk right away. But it builds fast. Here’s what that can look like:
- Sales disruptions during events or high-traffic days
- Manual workarounds that eat up staff hours
- Unnoticed security issues that leave data exposed
- Increased insurance costs without proper protections
- Team frustration and burnout when tech issues get ignored
In an industry where every case sold and every shift worked matters, these aren’t just operational headaches. They’re business risks.
The Right Kind of Support Pays for Itself
You don’t need enterprise-level IT or expensive software packages. What wineries need is stable, right-sized support that keeps systems running smoothly and helps catch problems before they become disruptions.
That might look like a managed IT partner, a light internal setup with external backup, or monthly check-ins to make sure nothing’s drifting.
Whatever the structure, it’s not about having more tech. It’s about making sure your team can rely on the tools they already use.
Don’t Overlook the AI Shift Already Underway
There’s a quiet shift happening that will reshape how wineries handle operational challenges: artificial intelligence.
It’s not hype. As AI tools mature, a single person equipped with the right support will be able to do the work of three—or more—without it. That kind of productivity boost could make a real difference in a year like this one.
Cutting technology spend at a time when AI is gaining ground doesn’t just risk short-term disruptions. It risks missing a once-in-a-generation leap in how work gets done. The businesses that stay focused, stay supported, and start learning how to use these tools now are the ones that will stay ahead.
You Don’t Have to Guess What to Keep
Not sure what’s worth protecting and what isn’t? That’s exactly why we created this:
This free guide helps you:
- Identify gaps in your current systems
- Understand what support is really doing for your bottom line
- Make smart cuts without putting operations at risk
- Prepare for a leaner year with more stability, not less
No sales pitch. No jargon. Just clarity on what’s helping—and what might be hurting.
Keep the Business Running Without Losing Momentum
If you’re tightening expenses this season, you’re not alone. But don’t assume that IT is the right place to cut.
Wineries that weather economic pressure best are the ones that stay functional, stable, and responsive, even when things are lean.
Well running tech is what makes that possible.
Have questions? Let’s talk. Schedule a call