Many California growers can’t find buyers as the industry produces more wine grapes than the market wants. Wine consumption is declining globally as people drink less.
It’s harvest time in California wine country, but many growers are struggling to sell their grapes as changing drinking habits have caused demand to plunge. The decline is forcing some growers to tear out vineyards that their families have grown for generations.
Wine sales have decreased by more than 20% over a five-year period, causing prices paid for grapes to drop and prompting California growers to take roughly a quarter of the state’s vineyards out of production. Many growers are having to decide whether to harvest at a loss, leave grapes on the vine or replace vineyards with crops more in demand such as almonds, walnuts, pistachios and olives.
Third-generation grower Bill Berryhill said it means another year of losing money and wasting hundreds of tons of healthy grapes.
I used to accidentally buy some California wine every now and then when not paying attention and grabbing a selection, it was never that good.
Since trump 2.0 now i check everything to make sure it’s not American. This isn’t really surprising news
California produces some of the best wines in the world. California also produces some of the worst wines in the world.
Both things can be true. California is a big place.
but Mondavi succeeded in making all wines taste the same.
The best wines are wines that almost no one can afford.
I’ve had quite affordable, very good wines from the Columbia Valley. I have alcohol that’s fit to drink, but I just don’t much, anymore. I give it to guests and neighbors.
Maybe. I’ve had a lot of really good wine from California at reasonable prices, though. Also from WA, OR, and even a few from ID.
Looking through this thread, I get the feeling that most of the people commenting just don’t like wine. And that’s fine. Not everybody has to like everything.
Same! Since about the beginning of the year I always get European wines and Irish whiskey.
I recently bought a Cali red on sale, to cook. It’s not fit for it.
Over-oaked wine is bad for cooking, which is exactly what a lot of bad Cali labels do.
It used to be good like 20 years ago I think
At the very least we can assume it was good around the time that one Orson Welles commercial was made since I’m pretty sure he is getting increasingly pissed in-between takes based off the bloopers. Ahhh the French.