The California wine business is undergoing a severe crisis based on consumers' changing drinking habits, and one consequence is that wine sales are drastically down from a year ago and gloom appears rampant within the industry.
None of this is good news for wine lovers, except possibly consumers of expensive wines who are savvy enough to understand some of the bargains that may well be offered in retail stores in the coming months. That is all the more reason to pay attention to what's actually happening.
A longtime wine blogger, Tom Wark of Portland, wrote this week in his "Fermentation" newsletter that he expects a number of wineries in California to close. Some of this is already happening, with one large production facility in Sebastopol (Sonoma County) closing its production facility and offering all of its equipment for sale.
Updated: Tue May 14, 2024