Intoxicators, educators, and gatekeepers: The enactment of symbolic boundaries in Napa Valley wineries

Critic-generated classification systems help structure the U.S. wine industry, as they provide consumers a coherent rating system that standardizes the complexities of wine products and wine appreciation. Tasting room hosts in Napa Valley are thus key because they act as intermediaries who disseminate information generated by critics to a range of consumers. This article compares the way in which hosts operate in three types of wineries. Hosts in “mass-commercial” wineries utilize classifications to maximize market share, hosts in “limited-commercial” wineries educate consumers about wine classifications and acceptable wine appreciation, and hosts in “exclusive/elite” wineries become gatekeepers of coveted wines that have gained notoriety from critic-generated classifications.