A major trade organisation is disbanding in California

Monterey County Vintners & Growers Association has confirmed it is winding down operations after more than 40 years, revealing that “winery mergers and acquisitions” have made it impossible to continue.

The decision to dissolve one of California’s longest-standing wine trade groups was made after “careful consideration”, according to its Board of Directors.

In a letter written to the group’s members and partners this week, Scott T Quilty, president of Monterey County Vintners & Growers Association, explained that the closure “reflects a series of significant industry shifts over the past few years – including winery mergers, acquisitions, and ongoing economic challenges to the wine sector.

“Many of the larger wineries and growers that historically provided the bulk of the Council’s funding have either consolidated or are no longer able to sustain the organisation financially.”

Continuing, Quilty wrote: “Notably, several of these changes have occurred quite recently – within the past few months – making it impossible to plan or maintain a sustainable financial structure for the organisation moving forward.”

As well as heading the trade group, Quilty is also a vineyard director for Jackson Family Wines. The Monterey County Vintners & Growers Association board of directors also includes representatives from Constellation Brands, E & J Gallo, Wente Vineyards and Foley Family Wines, among others.

Premium grape-growing region

The nonprofit organisation was formed in 1974 and has at times represented more than 85 vintners in the Monterey region of California. According to the association, it was not until the early 1960’s that Monterey County received the recognition it deserves as a wine-producing region comparable to fellow Californians Napa and Sonoma. Thanks to its diverse microclimates, Monterey has become known as a kind of ‘viticultural laboratory,’ and is currently home to more than 53 grape varieties as far ranging as Tempranillo, Nebiolo and Touriga Nacional on the red side, and Roussanne, Riesling, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc on the whites. In recent years Monterey has established a reputation for being “one of California’s key premium grape-growing regions, worth more than $200 million,” the association says.

In his letter, published on 11 August, Quilty insisted that “while the council is winding down its operations, local growers and vintners remain committed to working together. Collaborative marketing and education efforts will continue, albeit in less formal structures, ensuring that the spirit of cooperation and shared advocacy that MCVGA fostered will live on.”

Quilty expressed “deep gratitude to the many members, partners and supporters” who contributed to the group’s mission over the last four decades.