How the Wine Industry Can Appeal to Gen Z, According to Future 40 Pros

• By WineBottleMag
• August 20, 2025
• Appeal Future Gen Industry Pros Wine
• With 0 comments

Wine Enthusiast just released its 2025 Future 40 list, a celebration of emerging talents and tastemakers in the drinks industry. This year’s list features a visionary group of winemakers, sommeliers, distillers and educators who are changing drinks culture with their innovative businesses and advocacy projects.

After we told each Future 40 recipient they made the list, we gave them some homework: a survey to fill out about the future of wine and the drinks industry at large. They had plenty of opinions, and you can read them all here.

Two of the Future 40 honorees stood out to us for how much ambition they’ve shown at such a young age: Luke Anderson, the 25-year-old winemaker at Tiger Mountain Vineyards in Tiger, Georgia, and Justine Osilla, the 31-year-old founder and winemaker of Kabayan Wines, in Sonoma County. When you envision someone who runs a winery, you don’t often think of a person in their mid 20s or early 30s. So we knew we had to get them on the podcast.

With all the challenges the wine industry is facing—tariffs, climate change, Gen Z allegedly not drinking it—we wanted to sit down with these early-career winemakers to get their takes. At the risk of looking like Steve Buscemi in the “How do you do, fellow kids?” meme, we asked Osilla and Anderson how they make their wine appealing to young people, what the industry should do to attract Gen Z and what worries them about the future.

Osilla and Anderson live in different parts of the country with vastly different terroirs, but they face some of the same challenges. They’re very optimistic about the future, with a few healthy concerns, and have a lot to say about where they want to be in a few years and how they plan to get there.

The Highlights

On what the wine industry should do to appeal to younger drinkers

Justine Osilla: “I think it’s just like making it more fun for people to drink. And a really big thing is making wine education more accessible and trying to challenge people to bring wine into their spaces and have fun with it.”

Luke Anderson: “I think the fun aspect is a big part of it, and I think you can kind of get that with the unique styles … like Pétillant Naturel and carbonic maceration. Those are unique and eye-catching and different. And those kinds of more trendy styles that aren’t just your regular still dry wine can catch the eye of the younger generation more.” 

On the biggest challenges they foresee in the future

LA: “I’d have to say tariffs have been a big thing. [Vendors have] raised prices on the vast majority of what we order. Climate change is concerning. Two years ago, I planted a test block of over 32 different varieties to see how they grow and develop, and so that’s kind of my safety net for climate change and to see what will work best on our property for the years to come.”

JO: “It may be more so the real estate in this area. My goal is to have my own facility here in Sonoma County, but with the state of the economy, it’s proving to be more difficult finding some affordable real estate. In terms of climate, this area is known for Pinot Noir, but as you may well know, it is getting hot and so, yeah, we’ll have to see what that means for Pinot Noir out here.”

On people being skeptical of their abilities because they’re so young

LA: “Yeah, there are definitely people who didn’t think I could hack it for sure. And occasionally you get that imposter syndrome. Like, Oh man, I don’t know if I’m cut out for this. Or maybe I don’t have it like that. But then I taste my product, and I’m like, Oh wow, I’m pretty good.”

On which wines are the most misunderstood

JO: “I’m gonna say Sherry. I think Sherry is super misunderstood and underrated. I feel like a lot of people put Sherry more so on a spirits list, when it is a very food-driven wine.”

On things they did early on that they wouldn’t do again

LA: “I think doing too many side projects or experiments and that sort of thing. Just because it can detract your focus from what’s most important. But I would still probably do those side projects again, because it helped me grow as a winemaker, and then they were fun to do.”

The Guests

Justine Osilla is the founder and winemaker of Kabayan Wines, which specializes in wine that pairs with Filipino food. Kabayan (a Filipino word that means “my people”) launched in 2023 and is based out of Sonoma County, California.

Luke Anderson has been the head winemaker at Tiger Mountain Vineyards in Tiger, Georgia, since 2023. From managing the harvest to mentoring front-of-house staff, he brings a hands-on, holistic approach to the Georgia wine scene.

More About the Podcast

The Wine Enthusiast podcast is your serving of drinks culture and the people who drive it. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Spotify and anywhere else you listen to your favorite shows. Visit the podcast homepage for more episodes and transcripts. 

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Transcript

Ryan Grim  00:07

Hello and welcome to the Wine Enthusiast Podcast, your serving of drinks culture and the people who drive it. I’m Ryan Grim, the Magazine Director here at Wine Enthusiast. We have a very special episode today, because I’m talking with two people who made our 2025 Future 40 list.

Every year, Wine Enthusiast celebrates a group of emerging, innovative talents in the drinks industry with a big feature in our October issue, which is coming out soon. Joining me today are Justine Osilla from Kabayan Wines in Sonoma County and Luke Anderson from Tiger Mountain Vineyards in Tiger, Georgia.

Now, when you think of someone who runs a winery, you don’t often imagine a person who’s in their mid 20s or early 30s. So these two wine makers are really breaking the mold. I was looking forward to chatting with both of them about getting their start in wine, the future of the industry, and what challenges they think lay ahead.

Justine, Luke, thank you so much for being here and congratulations on making Wine Enthusiast feature 40 list! Justine, how did you feel when you first heard the news?

Justine Osilla 01:09

Honestly, I was really touched to have people recognize what I’m doing with Kabayan wines. It’s definitely been a dream of mine and a goal to be on this list because I’ve seen so many amazing winemakers that I look up to on it as well. 

Luke Andserson  01:30

Yeah, I was a bit in shock. And, you know, I was hopeful to be on the list but I didn’t expect it. I kept my expectations low as to not potentially disappoint myself. But so I was a little bit surprised and super excited and very honored.

Ryan Grim 01:45

You’re both on the younger end of people on the list. Are you thinking of a younger audience when you’re making your wines?

Justine Osilla  01:55

Both yes and no. When I’m making my wines, I’m thinking of my whole culture, trying to bring people to drink more wine. And what better way to introduce Filipino people to wine than to pair with our own food?

Ryan Grim  02:14

I’ve seen a fair amount of news reports about younger generations not drinking as much. Have you noticed that? Are you worried about the future of American wines and spirits?

Justine Osilla  02:27

I am actually not worried. I had this conversation with somebody just the other day, and I feel like younger generations, who may not be drinking as much now, eventually they will have kids and families, and they all eventually want to drink.

Luke Anderson 02:46

You know, when I’m making wine, I try to make a wine that everyone will like, and certain styles that will fit into somebody’s preference. And in general, I think, you know, I think wine kind of a has some barriers of entry to it, and most people typically don’t start really getting into wine until they’re into maybe their 30s or so. And people don’t also have the budget, you know, when they’re college age. And I’m like late Gen Z, and so my generation is still kind of coming up, and so I’m not worried about it at all. It’ll come with time.

Ryan Grim  03:25

Justine, I read in an interview that when you first tried wine, you didn’t even like it. I would imagine that’s changed by now. What was your evolution with wine?

Justine Osilla  03:36

Ooh, that’s a great question. So it was actually my parents who introduced me to wine when we moved here to California from New Jersey. They started getting into it, and they were the ones who let me try wine at home when I was 16. And yeah, you’re right. I did not like wine, but I loved the smell of it, so it made me intrigued, like, Oh, why does it smell so good, but tastes like that?

The evolution was me starting off with, of course, sweeter wines, and then white wines and rosés, and moved on to reds, and Paso was where I fell in love with red wines.

Ryan Grim  04:18

And Luke, what was your evolution falling in love with wine?

Luke Anderson 04:24

I started in the industry kind of when Covid happened. I was in college at the time, and I decided to just get a job and start working to provide for myself. And I happened to start working at a winery, and through striving for a promotion, I was like, Oh, this is super interesting and unique and cool. And there’s chemistry, biology and and then, of course, your service and hospitality aspect and everything. And I just fell in love with the aroma, the flavor. It was really like the first alcoholic beverage I enjoyed. And because of the taste and not just aiming for the effect.

Ryan Grim 05:03

When you were so young, and taking over a winery, were other people either skeptical of your abilities as someone who’s so young, or were you ever unsure of yourself taking over an existing operation?

Luke Anderson 05:14

Yeah, there are definitely people who didn’t think I could hack it for sure. And occasionally you get that imposter syndrome, like, Oh man, I don’t know if I’m cut out for this. Or maybe I don’t have it like that. But then I taste my product and I’m like, Oh wow, I’m pretty good.

Ryan Grim  05:35

Is there anything that you did early on that maybe you wouldn’t do again?

Luke Anderson 05:38

That’s a great question. I think doing a little too many side projects or experiments and that sort of thing, just because it can detract your focus from what’s most important. But I would still probably do those side projects again, because it helped me grow as a winemaker, and then they were fun to do.

Justine Osilla  06:00

Well, I don’t own a whole operation yet, just my label. I’m actually currently the oenologist for Brick and Mortar Wines, where I’m moving my production as well.

I honestly would not change anything that I’ve done. I feel like I’ve had some really amazing mentors along the way that have helped guide me through this process of starting my own wine brand. And of course, there have been mistakes that have been made, and you know, it’s all part of the process of learning and growing and becoming a better winemaker and business person too.

Ryan Grim  06:51

A big part of your brand’s mission is pairing wine with Filipino food. What makes a wine pair well with Filipino dishes?

Justine Osilla  06:58

Yes, so typically, Filipino palate likes sweeter wines. I mean, they don’t really drink wines in general. They love gin, they love light beer. If they are caught drinking wine, it’s probably honestly Stella Rosa. So I wanted to change that and have them drink dryer-style wines. And I do that by I guess, just the style of my winemaking is very fruit-forward. I don’t incorporate any new oak. My wines are picked a little earlier, so it has that bright acid. And I do incorporate a little bit of like carbonic and each of my lots so it does have, like, a stronger aromatic profile.

Ryan Grim  07:45

Got you and on your website, I saw two different bottlings right now. Are you expanding in your future or sticking with those two?

Justine Osilla  07:53

I am still experimenting. My first vintage, I made a Mourvèdre coming out of Contra Costa County. Second, I expanded, and I ended up making a Sauvignon Blanc, a red blend, and also a Cabernet Sauvignon coming out of Moon Mountain.

I’m about to release two other wines, my Pinot from Ricci Vineyards in Carneros, as well as my carbonic Carignan from Mendocino County. I am producing even more Sauvignon Blanc this year because that’s been my best seller, and since the facility that I work at specializes in sparkling wines, I’m playing around with a little Pét-Nat as well.

Ryan Grim  08:46

Luke, same question, and also I’m wondering, how you balance what you may want to do with what is viable from like a business point of view.

Luke Anderson  08:56

That’s what I’ve created, a Pét-Nat as well, along with full carbonic maceration of Norton, which is an American variety. You never want to make the decision of what you’re going to do with it before the fruit is in your hands. You may have goals or wants or desires, but if the fruit won’t allow a specific style because of lack of quality or a chemistry difference in what your goal was, then you have to take what you have and make the best with it. 

So for example, carbonic maceration requires whole berries, and one year, I really wanted to do another one, but the fruit wasn’t there. We had some insect damage, and the fruit just wasn’t very high quality for that style of wine. So I had to pivot my direction, and you don’t want to shoehorn yourself into producing a style where the fruit doesn’t really agree with it.

Ryan Grim 09:50

I would imagine there’s also limitations, but also advantages, from being in Georgia. Can you talk about that?

Luke Anderson  09:58

Yeah, it’s very different. And we’re actually, you know, we’re in the Appalachian Mountains, so we’re in a temperate rain forest. We get 50 to 80 inches of rain during the growing season. And so we have to spray our vineyard a lot more than they typically do out west.

We tend to pick our fruit a little bit earlier before things like bunch rot or botrytis set in. I also manage the vineyard, so the vineyard aspect is challenging. She mentioned how she picks a little earlier for higher acidity. We naturally get higher acidity because we’re picking earlier than the West Coast is almost every year. But we get a lot of vigor in our vines, and it still does get very hot here as well, but our elevation allows for those cool nights to retain acidity. And it’s a very different style of winemaking than the West Coast. We do more chaptalization than amelioration, for example. But it’s fun, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Ryan Grim  10:59

If people hadn’t had wines from Georgia before, what would be your pitch to them? Why should they try it?

Luke Anderson 11:06

Most Georgia wines have the connotation of being sweet because of Muscadines and Scuppernongs that are grown in South Georgia, but here, up in the mountains, particularly in my vineyard, we produced almost entirely dry wine. We have won awards at, you know, multiple California prestigious wine competitions, like Los Angeles International, for example. And we can give you the Napa experience here in Georgia.

Justine Osilla  11:35

Talk about where you’re sourcing your fruit from these days.

Justine Osilla  11:39

I’m sourcing my fruit all over Northern California. I get fruit from Lake County, Contra Costa County, Carneros, Sonoma County and Mendocino. I contract with all these different growers, and typically around when variation starts happening is when I go out to go visit, taste the fruit, check for brix and pH. And typically, when you’re small, you don’t really have a whole lot of say when you get to pick the fruit. But I get to piggyback off somebody else who’s picking their fruit earlier, around the same brix where I’m trying to target, they just bring it to the facility, and once it gets to the facility, it’s my hands on the fruit.

Ryan Grim  12:29

What would you say if someone was just starting out in the industry and they wanted some advice.

Justine Osilla 12:39

I would say, try a lot of different aspects of the business. I mean, whether you’re trying to go into marketing or winemaking, kind of figure out what your strengths are and put yourself in a place to get more experience and go from there.

Luke Anderson 13:00

You know, for winemaking, specifically, the big thing is patience and to never rush. Because when you rush, that’s typically when you make mistakes. For the rest of the business, I would say, enjoy it as well as learning and working at it. It’s very fun and unique. And, yeah, there’s thousands of different avenues you can take in this industry. And like she said, You got to find what niche fits you the best.

Ryan Grim  13:29

I also wonder, you know, in 5, 10, years, about challenges. I mean, there’s, there’s climate change, obviously, tariffs can affect domestic producers as well as importers. What are the biggest challenges for you?

Luke Anderson 13:45

Tariffs have been a big thing. [Vendors have] raised prices on the vast majority of what we order. Climate change is concerning. Two years ago, I planted a test block of over 32 different varieties, to see how they grow and develop, and so that’s kind of my my safety net for climate change and to see what will work best on our property for the years to come

Ryan Grim
Which ones were the most successful?

Luke Anderson  14:16

Well, the project is still ongoing, but some of them have been Chambourcin Arandell and Villard Blanc.

Ryan Grim 14:26

Justine, what about you? What are some challenges you foresee in the future?

Justine Osilla 14:33

I think it may be more so the real estate in this area. My goal is to have my own facility up here in Sonoma County, but with the state of the economy, it’s proving to be more difficult finding some affordable real estate. In terms of climate, this area is known for Pinot Noir, but as you may well know, it is getting hot and so, yeah, we’ll have to see what that means for Pinot Noir out here.

Ryan Grim 16:09

What would you say to someone who’s never tried your wines before, and maybe they were familiar with some more traditional California wines, but we’re curious about yours. What would you tell them about them?

Justine Osilla 16:25

I would say my wines are not your typical hot kind of big bold California wines I mentioned earlier. You know, I make a red blend, I make Cab, and even my Cab is not your typical California Cab. All my stuff is low ABV. Probably the highest is my Cab at 13.5 alcohol. And because I don’t add in all that oak, my wines are not heavily extracted. It’s on the lighter side. You know, I feel like that kind of lighter style, fruit forward, is what everybody’s trying to drink nowadays.

Ryan Grim  17:09

Yeah. So we mentioned earlier that some drinking habits, according to the news reports are changing amongst younger people. What should the wine industry do at large in order to interest younger drinkers

Justine Osilla  17:24

That’s a good question. I feel like, especially because I do have a little bit of a background in marketing. While I was in college, I had my little stint as a content creator, showing the masses about my journey in winemaking, and I think it’s just like making it more fun for people to drink. And a really big thing is making wine education more accessible and trying to challenge people to bring wine into their spaces and have fun with it.

Luke Anderson 18:11

Yeah, I think the fun aspect is a big part of it, and I think you can kind of get that with the unique styles, some that we mentioned earlier, like Pétillant Naturel and carbonic maceration. Those are unique and eye catching and different. And those kind of more trendy styles that aren’t just your regular still dry wine can catch the eye of the younger generation more. And that’s actually two of the styles I’ve heard from younger drinkers that enjoy those and are saying they’re all the rage nowadays.

Ryan Grim 18:45

What are your favorite wines to drink, other than the stuff you’re making?

Luke Anderson 18:48

I love sparkling wine. It’s like, I wish I could be out in Sonoma right now…

Justine Osilla
You gotta come visit!

Luke Anderson 18:57

…in the Carneros area and spend more time out there. I love sparkling wines, specifically Champagnes. I love, you know, yeasty complex multi vintage sparklings. That’s my favorite thing to drink.

Justine Osilla 19:14

I’m gonna second that, Luke, sparkling is number one for me, and second is Rieslings, all kinds of Rieslings, all different, um sweetness levels, and probably older Rieslings is also my favorite.

Ryan Grim  19:32

I feel like Riesling can be fairly misunderstood. What’s the most misunderstood wine that you think and people have a lot of misconceptions about?

Justine Osilla  19:43

Ooh, that’s a great question. I’m gonna say sherry. I think Sherry is super misunderstood and underrated. I feel like a lot of people put Sherry more so on a spirits list when it is a very food-driven wine.

Ryan Grim  20:00

I think that wraps it up. Thank you so much for being here. And you know, I didn’t mention this earlier, but you guys are both on the cover of the issue that has the Future 40 feature in it. 

Justine Osilla
Oh, my God, I am shocked.

Luke Anderson 20:30

Me too. Holy cow, yeah, that’s, that’s a dream come true, right there.

Justine Osilla  20:36

Yes, same, oh, my God, that’s amazing. Whoa

Ryan Grim 20:39

Thank you so much for doing this, and I think we got all we need.

Justine Osilla  20:44

Awesome. Thank you so much Ryan for having us such a pleasure to talk to you.

Ryah Grim 20:56

Well, it seems like they’re happy about being on the cover. That was a fun one. You can email comments and questions to podcast@wineenthusiast.com. And remember, you can subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Spotify, and anywhere else you listen to your favorite shows. Go to wine enthusiast.com/podcast for more episodes of transcripts. I’m Ryan Grim, thanks for listening.

The post How the Wine Industry Can Appeal to Gen Z, According to Future 40 Pros appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

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