That’s the opinion of Jeff Bitter, president of Allied Grape Growers, said during a presentation at CalExpo in Sacramento. And that 30,000-acre figure is on top of 20,000 acres already removed from production.
Blamed stalled per-capita wine consumption. Danny Brager, senior vp at Nielsen, notes total wine sales grew 1.1% in 2019. But that was thanks to on-premise consumption. Off-premise, sales trended downward, and depletion data also is showing a decline. One reason: Spirits are gaining share.