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Posted on 09/23/2026 9:28:49 AM PDT by DFG
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.
“It’s just sickening,” said Berryhill, standing in a vineyard of unsold merlot grapes. “You raise a beautiful crop, and it’s really a nice vintage this year, and you drop it on the ground. It’s sad. All your work is just down the toilet.”
Berryhill, who owns Berryhill Family Vineyards near Lodi in the San Joaquin Valley, said he can’t find buyers for grapes grown on 200 of his 500 acres (202 hectares). He plans to remove 50 acres (20 hectares) of vineyards when the harvest season is over.
“I will lose money for sure. It’s just a matter of how much,” Berryhill, 68, said. “This has been a big loser for three years now.”
At its peak during the pandemic, California had almost 600,000 acres (242,811 hectares) of vineyards, but farmers have removed or stopped actively growing wine grapes on roughly 25% of that land, said Jeff Bitter, president of Allied Grape Growers, which represents about 500 farmers statewide.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.com ...
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They will sell no wine before it’s .....oh, wait............
Pears are experiencing a similar problem
Wine grapes are different.
That’s what I thought. So all the suggestions to turn them into jams or raisins are not really useful.
The largest increase in ALL beer makers sales is the NON alcoholic beer.
That is why every beer maker now has a non alcoholic version. I think Athletic is now the number one seller.
I tried everyone of them a couple winters ago. IMHO, the one I liked the best was the Corona Zero. Stick a lime in it and you will not taste the difference.
I also like the Blue Moon.
O’Doules is by far the worst. Also, the most carbs.
Gen Z are not big drinkers. My 28 year old son and his girl hardly ever drink alcohol. An occasional glass of Champaign at some special event.
They do not smoke weed either or do any drugs.
Very limited thinking here. Wine sales are not the only use of grapes. Yes they are a different grape, but they are not the whole industry.
California produces nearly 99% of the table grapes and 100% of the raisins in the United States, centered primarily in the San Joaquin Valley around Fresno. I was born in Dinuba, my grandfather had a citris ranch, thompsons as part of it, and his grapes made into raisons were sold world wide by sunkist.
The U.S. table grape market is valued at approximately $4.08 billion annually, while the domestic crop value sits around $2.49 billion. The U.S. raisin industry generates roughly $300 million to $400 million annually in total production value. So griping about wine grapes is a little short sided.
California has enough trouble with water shortages and crops are dying anyway all over the state. Marketing is a mute point by pointing the thought on one piece of it.
wy69
They’ve planted way too many grapes for years now.
Micro breweries that make 8+ ABV beers are killing the wine industry
Non-alcoholic mixed drinks called ‘Mocktails’ are increasing in popularity and may partially explain the decline of wine sales.
They should have seen the curve coming and all grown weed. Yesterday’s drunks are today’s stoners.
Sure sign weed sales are good in California.
I had a glass of wine with dinner every night for many years.
But things changed when I read the book: “Eat t0 Beat Disease”. By Wm. Li., M.D.
His list of “Miracle Foods”. includes beer, which cleans out your arteries.
I hate beer.
EXCEPT beer I drank in Belgium. Stella Artois, available everywhere now.
“One toke over the line sweet Jesus....”
“ They could sell them as grapes”
If the California grapes are as tasteless as the apricots, peaches and other fruits then no thanks. I was so disappointed the first time in California with all the fruit stands, and no matter what fruit it was, it was bland and tasteless. Same results buying California fruit in Texas grocery stores, no flavor.
Western civilization is in free-fall collapse.
Wine is too expensive and most of it is mediocre. I’ve started brewing my own. Right now Mr. GG2 and I are enjoying a chilled apple wine and I have 4 other 1 gallon batches of various types fermenting. I just bottled a grape/blackberry mead that I would offer to anybody I know. Good or better than store bought for $16 a gallon.
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