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.

    • mycodesucks@lemmy.world
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      18 hours ago

      Yeah. The thing about the economy is only the supply side is allowed to win.

      You paying the offered price is fair market price setting.

      You getting a good deal is THEFT from the hard working business owners.

      • cloudshouter@lemmy.zip
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        10 hours ago

        The really fun thing about the capitalist economy is that only the corporate retail side is allowed to win. The growers are going to get the least, the people who put the label on get the most and the stores get whatever they want.

    • 𝙈𝙞𝙖@quokk.au
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      20 hours ago

      I used to be able to buy 4L of cask wine for like $3AUD back in the 00s. Bring back the good times (and my youth)!