I had some reservation about the implications of the story because of the extraordinary expense of clearing virgin conifer forests with their spiderweb of shallow roots. Preparation of a parcel suitable only for drip irrigation would be prohibitively expensive even for top dollar varietals.
Add to that the transportation costs to get either the raw product or the juice from the first crush of these remote vineyards to the plant facilities and either the production rates or the juice's charater would have to be spectacular to warrant those expenses in an era of the Franzia brother'sTwo Buck Chuck.
Most of the new acreage in unproven areas is driven by tax code, sheltering the income of professionals in other fields. Developments in California's central coastal valleys from the lower Santa Ynez, to the lower Santa Maria, to the Edna, and on to the upper Salinas Valleys is a product of government policy, not the potential for quick profit. These conversions from animal husbandry to viticulture were only possible given the availability of free government subsidies. These vineyards are being developed on rolling grass slopes and avoid concentrations of scrub oak. Had they been conifer forests their owners would still be wrangling for grazing permits instead of the promotion of the fortunes of unique appellation.
Again thanks for confirming my suspicions.
Thank you for the information. Now it makes a lot more sense why vineyards have been spreading over everything in sight.