Crisis in California wine industry: Unsold grapes and struggling farmers
(FOX40.COM) — According to the California Association of Winegrape Growers, the Golden State produces about 80% of all wine in the United States.
The wine industry has been a major economic driver for the state for decades. Creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, generating billions in revenue, and attracting tourism.
However, now the state’s wine industry is in a crisis, tackling several challenges. It’s an impact affecting local farmers and wineries in Northern California
“I am fourth-generation farmer here in Clarksburg for my family’s farm, Wilson Vineyards, and I am the owner and winemaker of Silt Wine Company,” said David Ogilvie.
Just like many grape growers in California, this year some of Ogilvie’s grapes will go unpicked because of no buyers.
“This is the first time, in my family’s history, that this block is going unsold,” Ogilvie explained.
The block he is referring to is a section about 15 acres big and unfortunately, not the only grapes that will remain on the vine this harvest season.
“It’s an economic hit to the family farm. When we have multiple blocks like we do this year that will go on unharvested, it hurts,” Ogilvie said.
“Growers throughout California are facing an immense amount of challenges today and really, it’s not just one singular challenge. It is a host of challenges that have all stacked up and have really made things pretty dire here, Natalie Collins, President of the California Association of Winegrape Growers, said.
She said some of the challenges include a decrease in consumption by the younger generation, an oversupply of grapes, and an increase in cheaper imports.
“We’ve seen bulk wine, flood into the U.S. it’s up 17% year to date,” said Collins, “We get calls daily at our association from growers looking for answers. What can I do next? Sadly, there are generational farmers who are going out of business.”
Collins added this harvest season, more grapes will go unharvested while other vineyards will simply be lost.
“We removed over 37,000 acres of vineyards last year and there’s a call for another 50,000 to be removed,” Collins said.
“We are seeing, you know, a loss of jobs. Farm workers are struggling. The trucking companies are going to be struggling. Our suppliers, our barrel companies, the grapevine nurseries are fertilizer companies,” said Stuart Spencer, executive director of the Lodi Winegrape Commission.