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

389 points · 987 comments · randycupertino

  1. rayiner · · focus · HN ↗

    [dead]

    1. dumpHero2 · · focus · HN ↗
      why not?
    2. OkayPhysicist · · focus · HN ↗
      Huh? We've got the best farmland in the US, possibly the world. It'd be a terrible shame not to take advantage of it.
      1. jleyank · · focus · HN ↗
        Bit short of water, though…
        1. Teknomadix · · focus · HN ↗
          No, that's Colorado.
          1. jleyank · · focus · HN ↗
            SoCal has water?
            1. rabidheuristics · · focus · HN ↗
              SoCal grows grapes?
              1. gensym · · focus · HN ↗
                Temecula resident checking in... yes, it does.

                It gets hot here, but Temecula gets a breeze from the ocean that makes it somewhat tolerable for growing grapes. The wines were tend to be the high-alcohol variety (think cabs and zins) because those are what grow better in the heat.

                Most of the wines here aren't that good, but the wineries are more the attraction because they're beautiful and a short drive from LA, SD, or Palm Springs. Popular for weddings and bachelorette parties.

                (There are some wineries here doing interesting things but if I'm buying wine to consume at home I'm usually looking for other regions than my backyard).

              2. kelnos · · focus · HN ↗
                [delayed]
      2. rayiner · · focus · HN ↗
        It has no water. That’s why it was worthless to Mexico before the U.S. annexed it and the Army Corps of Engineers terraformed it.
        1. OkayPhysicist · · focus · HN ↗
          You're confusing SoCal and the Central Valley here. Southern California (LA, San Diego, the Mojave Desert) doesn't have enough water. The Central Valley, fed by the Sacramento River from the Sierras and Cascades, and then extended south with canals, has plenty of water for agriculture. In fact, it was quite prone to flooding before we engineered the water shed.

          All of which is irrelevant to the wine conversation, because the relatively dry climate is exactly what makes the Napa and Livermore valleys some of the best in the world to grow grapes. You've got good soil, dry summers allowing for control over how much water the grapes get that make them grow more flavorful, and very few frosts. The fact that the region gets almost all of their rainfall during the winter also helps avoid the grapes going to mold.

          1. trollbridge · · focus · HN ↗
            There are farms near Sacramento airport in a “reversed irrigation district.

            They have to pump water OUT of their fields and pay for the privilege of doing so as opposed to pumping it in from an irrigation canal.

            Nothern California has no shortage of water whatsoever, and indeed it’s a regular news item whether or not to divert a few million extra gallows into the ocean to sustain some variety of fish that likes to swim around in the delta.

            1. wat10000 · · focus · HN ↗
              It’s good to remember that California is one of the biggest states, with land area similar to Japan or Sweden. This area covers a wide variety of climates, from towering frozen mountains to one of the lowest and hottest places on the planet. It’s not a place that admits much generalization.
            2. m463 · · focus · HN ↗
              I sort of laughed when the california bottling companies are made out to be water-wasting-villains.

              Even if there was an extreme drought, putting water in people's bodies via drinking should never be curtailed.

              (though maybe stop watering crops with brawndo)

            3. opinion-is-bad · · focus · HN ↗
              Just for some context, a million gallons of water is about three feet covering one acre. Almonds use four per year. There are individual farms in the California delta using three orders of magnitude more per year.
    3. m4ck_ · · focus · HN ↗
      I'd worry about farming in Utah or Arizona deserts long before sonoma and central valley.. They're draining rivers and aquifers to grow grass in the desert to sell to even drier deserts in China and the middle east.
    4. khazhoux · · focus · HN ↗
      The empirical evidence (which can be found at any grocery store) says otherwise.
    5. kelnos · · focus · HN ↗
      You do realize that California is a huge state, spanning nearly 10 degrees of latitude, and not all of it is a dry desert like much of inland southern California is, right?

      Some of the best and most versatile farmland in the US is in California, and the northern half of the state is flush with water. Before the current system of watersheds was built, there was regular flooding. Some of us in NorCal get to experience some of the tastiest, cleanest drinking water in the country.

      What an uninformed take...

      1. rayiner · · focus · HN ↗
        The valley looks quite dry all the way up: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;nyskiblog.com&#x2F;directory&#x2F;weather-data&#x2F;us&#x2F;annual-precipitation-map&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;nyskiblog.com&#x2F;directory&#x2F;weather-data&#x2F;us&#x2F;annual-preci...
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