Wine Business Monthly Names Patrick Spencer one of 2025 Wine Industry Leaders
Original aricle by Wine Business Monthly
EVERY YEAR, THE EDITORS at WineBusiness Monthly spend hours discussing the concept of leadership: what it means, who embodies it, and how do we narrow down all the amazing people in this industry into a single short list. In 2025, what did it mean to be an industry leader?
This past year, we found that there were more success stories than previously thought, from companies making big acquisitions to new brands that had near-immediate success. People stepped up to protect the wine industry in ways that they could have never imagined.
What we ended up creating is a list of those who give the wine industry hope for the future, that we can acknowledge that times are tough and the headlines are less-than-positive and still find inspiration in those who buck trends, find innovative solutions and push all those they meet to do and be better.
In no way is this an exhaustive list of the men and women who are shaping, or have shaped, the industry-and the list will never be complete. We try to update who makes the list each year, focusing on the progress made in the last 12 months. We want to showcase new names and faces and bring to light all the important work they have completed and continue to do.
Once again, we've decided to sort the leaders by industry facet, rather than simply alphabetically. One of the coolest things about wine is that it touches so many categories-everything from agriculture to sales, culture to business, technology to tradition-and we wanted to honor that. Many of these leaders work in many areas of the wine business, but for this list we tried to place them in the category they had the most impact.
Want further proof that the industry is going to make a resurgence? This year we had more than 350 submissions to review, vet and judge. Thank you to everyone who submitted their suggestions. This was an incredible opportunity for us to learn more about the industry and the wonderful people behind it. We hope even more of you submit for next year's list.
Cheers to leadership, the wine industry, and making a difference!
Wine's Protectors
Patrick Spencer has been a leading voice against President Trump's tariffs, recognizing the threat they posed to natural cork supply chains critical to winemakers worldwide. By organizing an industry-wide response, his efforts helped secure an exemption for corks. His work tackles infrastructure challenges individual wineries can't solve alone, protecting supply chain stability and keeping costs low.