When it comes to wine, the number of people taking a sip is slipping.
Local winemakers came together Friday for an annual event in Downtown Sacramento to help promote their products and boost sales.
From Amador and El Dorado to San Joaquin and Yolo counties, Sacramento is surrounded by hundreds of vineyards. But now, thousands of acres are being removed from production — as wine demand declines.
This year’s California Grand Tasting, an annual event sponsored by Visit Sacramento, recognizes the importance of the wine industry across the region.
Grapes are Sacramento County’s top crop, generating $167 million in sales last year, and statewide they earned more than $ 6 billion.
But this celebration of wine comes at a challenging time for vintners.
“Certainly, the consumer habits have changed,” Visit Sacramento CEO Mike Testa said. “You look at some of the younger generation, they’re not consuming wine the way the older generations are.”
California ag officials estimate there are currently 540,000 acres of wine grapes being grown across the state. But that’s down 12% from just two years ago.
Some growers are tearing out vines or letting grapes go unpicked this year.
“You’ve got so many different factors that are impacting everything that we do,” said Jill Osur, owner of Teneral Cellars.
Osur says the industry is struggling with competition from imports and tariffs, which affect her profits.
“We cannot pass on the cost of the tariffs and all of that,” Osur said. “People wouldn’t spend that much money, but we’re being impacted by that.”
Jody Bogle’s family has been growing grapes since the 1960s. They now produce 2 million cases of wine a year.
She says they have removed some older vines, but that’s making room for varieties that are more popular.
“We’re always looking at trends, obviously. We’re looking at what folks are drinking,” Bogle said.
Winemakers say events like this help them connect with local consumers and it’s an opportunity to stress the importance of shopping local.
“It’s a critically important time for the wine industry for people to support their local wineries and not buy something from another country off the shelf,” Osur said.
In past years, grape growers have also had to deal with the drought and wildfire smoke, but they say those have not been big issues so far this year.
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