Fox 40 News Story: Local vineyards feel economic impacts and share how to overcome obstacles
by: Melanie Townsend
Posted: May 7, 2026 / 07:19 PM PDT
Updated: May 7, 2026 / 07:19 PM PDT
(FOX40.COM) — Fifty minutes just outside of Sacramento are the beautiful rolling hills and sprawling vineyards of Amador Wine Country, home to some of the oldest and highest mountain vineyards in California.
For the 40 to 50 family-owned vineyards here, wine and farming are what have kept Amador County alive and thriving.
Veteran grape growers like Terri Harvey, whose property dates back more than 170 years, feel a lot of pride in what has been produced over the years.
Yet things, according to Harvey, just aren’t the same anymore.
“I mean it used to be just excitement,” Harvey said. “Just joy, fun, everybody especially when harvest would come around, it’d be like hitting the casino jackpot.”
When asked about the current state of Amador now, Harvey used the words “sad,” “gloomy” and “quiet.”
“You just go by, and you know the people who have their vineyards and grapes for sale and the ones that don’t; they just let them go,” Harvey said. “There’s just not enough people to absorb what’s coming out, so I just think it’s got to balance itself out.”
Hearing words like these makes eager and younger winemakers like Spencer Jones of Iron Hub Winery & Distillery nervous.
What is even more daunting, according to Jones, is seeing historic vineyards start to dry up across the region, and wineries close for good due to the current state of the economy.
“It is scary in a sense of how much has shut down,” Jones said. “There’s no doubt that other wineries in this region with distribution backed up, tariffs; a lot of folks are having to make that difficult decision of ripping out their vineyard. They’re having to lease out their land to local cattlemen and ranchers.”
Recent data shows that in 2025, California’s wine grape acreage was sitting at around 540,000 acres. That’s down from just over 610,000 acres three years ago.
“Last year, I believe it was 38,000 acres of vines were removed from California… You look back from 2019 to 2023, there was about 3.5 million tons picked in California. ’24 was the lowest vintage picked since ’96 and that was about 2.7 million tons, and this year was about 6% less,” Jones said.
He also pointed to other factors like the cost of wine forcing people to cut back and save money, expensive regulations by the state, the cost of grapes going down and the market being flooded with cheap imported wines by major corporations.
“They can import wine for a dollar a gallon. They’re saving a lot of money by importing wine, but sadly they’re hurting the farmer,” Jones said.
There is a word that continues to come up in the conversations with Harvey and Jones: adapt.
By keeping his costs down through sustainable, cost-effective methods in farming and water conservation, Jones and his parents are able to keep profit margins steady.
The changing times have also forced them to invest more in a longtime labor of love, and now they’re officially in the vodka and brandy business.
“We’re the only winery in the Sierra Foothills that’s actually a distillery. The consumer, they want that elevated experience, and they don’t just want delicious wine; they want something else on top of that,” Jones stated. “Here at Iron Hub, we produce 4-thousand cases a year and that stays right here on our patio, and so fortunately that business plan in today’s market, you’re able to make a living.”
Jones and other winemakers in the Central Valley are hoping state leaders can come to their rescue by passing legislation that would limit the saturation of imported wines and put an emphasis on ‘American Made’ wines here from California.
One of Assembly Bill 1585’s authors, Assemblyman Damon Connolly (D) said the bill would prohibit use of the appellation of “American” or “United States” for wine produced or sold in California unless 100% of the wine is derived from grapes grown in the U.S.
In other words, Jones said, “The quality of America’s wine is undermined by labeling wine as “American” but putting cheap imported bulk wine in the bottle.”
Farmers and those in the local wine industry, like Jones, believe AB 1585 will give consumers confidence that they are getting what they paid for and be willing to buy local more.
“If it says California on the label, that means it’s 100% California grown, and that’s stood strong in court and so they’re really hoping this American label will also stand strong in court,” Jones said.
To experience Amador’s rich wine country yourself and to help keep more wineries from closing, you can plan your visit on the Amador Wine Association’s website here.