(Wines&Vines) - At a large wine festival in New York, Tyler Balliet witnessed what he described as “one of the saddest things I ever saw.” A group of young people who—while excited to be at the $85-per-ticket event—were clearly flummoxed about how to appreciate wine. Without knowing what to do, Balliet said one member of the group turned to another and said, “Screw it, let’s just get drunk.” The story, Balliet said, serves as an example of how the wine industry has failed to connect with the younger generation of U.S. wine drinkers. According to Mutineer magazine editor and founder Alan Kropf, it’s emblematic of the insular, niche wine culture that has reduced the joy of drinking wine to mere scores in a 100-point system.