Central Coast Winemakers Stay Optimistic Amidst Slow Wine Market & Late Harvest
John Palminteri
SANTA YNEZ VALLEY, Calif. (KEYT) – You won’t see a worried look on the faces of many Central Coast winemakers as they are well into their 2025 harvest and seeing a very good yield.
Many were talking about the global shift in the demand for wine recently trending down from the past, but they are still actively going after their vines and say cycles are traditional in this business.
Owner of Andrew Murray Vineyards, Andrew Murray said at the mid-October Santa Barbara County Vintners Festival, “we’ve got so much fruit ripe. We’ve got 60 percent of our fruit coming in in the next week.”
Despite mixed reviews from other regions or talk of a glut of grapes he says, “we’re growing. I don’t buy into the negativity. We bought a new brand, old brand, Qupe last year and it is up, up, up. I see blue skies,” he said.
Steve Clifton the winemaker at Vega Vineyards said, it is the “longest, mildest, coolest summer we have had since 2010 and all the way back to 2005.”
He also notes, what ever the weather or demand, the region can pivot. After three decades of experience, Clifton says, “Santa Barbara County has the most diverse wines in one place in the world.”
At festivals and other events he knows there are new wine fans of this region coming in all the time. “It is a beverage that should make every meal better and make every conversation better.”
Even with the consumers looking at different beverage options Clifton says, “Santa Barbara has the most diverse number of wines produced in one place in the world I mean that sincerely. There’s no other place in such a small proximity that you can grow so many things them all really, really well.”
Ryan Carr, the owner of Carr Winery has been producing wine in Lompoc and Santa Barbara for years, including in the popular Funk Zone in its early stages. He agrees, there are many dynamics that go into creating the wines from this region. “It’s got such an amazing array of soils and microclimates, it allows us make so many different varietals small area.” He was working on Italian varietals at the time inside his production building and tasting room in downtown.
He says, “Santa Barbara County has a strong foot hold and isn’t going anywhere and it is making some of the best wine in the world.”
The region and its winemakers have received many honors for its wine from prestigious publications to regional tasting competitions.
The wine industry has many economic benefits that aren’t always realized during a weekend visit to a tasting room. That includes the boost to the overall economy in hotel stays, restaurant visits, entertainment events, transportation companies and thousands of jobs from the fields to resort properties.
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