California farmers are struggling to sell grapes as demand for wine drops

ortusdux

https://wineinstitute.org/press-releases/one-year-later/ https://www.fas.usda.gov/data/commodities/wine-related-produ...

toomuchtodo

If you’re a domestic US wine lover, now is a great time to be buying if you have the space to store it.

neom

Wasn't SGMA always the big long term problem for them anyway? I recall reading some time ago many are looking to pivot to solar farms. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_Groundwater_Manage...

SwellJoe

While I enjoy a glass of wine every now and then, I'm not going to lament the decline of an industry producing alcoholic products; it's inarguably good that younger generations are drinking less. Sorry to the farmers, but profiting off of increasing public health risk maybe should be a precarious business. I'm not gonna get upset about tobacco farms shutting down or having to switch crops, and alcohol is just another addictive and harmful substance (I've known more people who died due to alcohol than any other substance, one in a drunk driving accident, one due to liver failure, two were alcoholics who died by suicide...can't be certain it was the alcohol, but addiction certainly didn't help their situation). But, also, the income of younger generations has been crushed so much, the ones that do still drink can't afford expensive luxury booze. Decent wine is an expensive way to drink alcohol.

1970-01-01

If demand is down globally, sell the land already. People will do everything except the hardest thing.

programmertote

Not sure how the extra supply for grapes affect retail prices of grapes for regular consumption. But at Costco in Southern CA, the price of grapes have been fairly stable (~$5.99 - $7.99) over the last year or a little more.

legitster

My parents live in a massive fruit growing region of the country. Just this year, 2 of the major packing firms in the county both declared bankruptcy. It's not just the trade war, but years of shrinking seasonal workers that fell off to a trickle as well. The knock on effect is massive. The seasonal workers supported a large permanent workforce - and more importantly tax revenues in the county are collapsing. But the really important thing to understand is that once the industry is gone, it's gone for a long time. The other markets competing with the US are already expanding their industries to fill the void. Once those trees are planted, they produce fruit for several decades to come.

rayiner

We shouldn’t be farming things in California.

vehemenz

I’ll believe it when wine prices go down. Prove it!

iharuya

I don't mean to dismiss wine as something people can appreciate almost like art, but sometimes the pricing does feel a little absurd. I once had a red from Franciscan, made from a vineyard right next to Opus One. To me it tasted remarkably similar, yet it cost more than 30x less.

djmips

Perhaps demand is going down abroad due to people eschewing US products.

alexandre_m

> while young people are drinking less alcohol due to health and financial concerns My observation is that gen-z spends less time socializing in real life, and drinking remains a social habit for the most part at a younger age. While they drink less, cannabis, vaping and psychedelics are on the rise. It's a nice claim to say they are more responsible, but it tells an incomplete story.

1-6

Let's just say it as it is... Wine is 'supposedly' an acquired taste but for most, it tastes bitter and not enjoyable for the cost. Tastes shift and luxury items from yesteryear no longer makes a strong statement about affluence to this generation.

beej71

An NA wine that wasn't completely horrible might ease the burden a bit.

Gonxa6282

They can sell them to me instead, I could be eating grapes all year long.

pfdietz

This thread reminds me: I need to make a concord grape pie. It's the season for it.

jnaina

I'm Gen X. I lived my best life in the 80s and 90s, socializing, partying (frat boy years included), with alcohol as the main social lubricant. After Covid, almost everyone in my circle stopped or cut back on going out to bars and drinking, me included. It wasn't the price of drinks. Something about the lockdowns simply rewired the social norms (and our brains). I feel for the farmers. I still miss a nicely chilled Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc now and then.

vondur

It’s amazing how much more land in the central coast area is now dedicated to growing grapes.