Wine sales are so low, California winemakers are burning their own vineyards — nearly 38,000 acres of grapes are gone

An estimated half-million tons of grapes were never picked, and one of the varietals that’s being targeted most frequently for uprooting or burning is the pinot noir.

Valley Farm Management CEO Jason Smith, for example, is selling his land and shutting down the company, which his family owned for 51 years. He recently watched the company’s pinot noir vines get ripped from the ground, while the wooden supports for them were set on fire.

“There’s literally no way for me to make money,” Smith told the Times.

Pinot Noir production falls 30%

Pinot noir exploded into popularity in 2004 after the film Sideways came out, touting the style. Growers planted it wherever they could find space. The run on the varietal lasted for several years, but as younger people drink less and find wine less approachable, vineyards are backing off of the style (though it remains the second most popular red style in the state). Since 2021, production of pinot noir in California has dropped by 30%.

Last year, for the first time in decades, California winemakers made more white wine than red. Vineyards are now experimenting with white wine styles beyond chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, hoping oenophiles will take a liking to fiano or grüner veltliner.

The destruction of the vines comes as harvest season gets underway in California. Like last year, thousands of pounds of grapes are expected to be left unpicked and experts expect hundreds of additional wineries to close down or be purchased.

A multi-pronged assault

Wine is facing challenges on several fronts. Younger consumers find it intimidating and often too expensive. Those who drink wine prefer something that’s not pretentious and can be consumed as easily from a Solo cup as Riedel stemware.

There has also been growing competition from the cannabis industry, and the increasing volume of reports that warn about the health risks of drinking have given some consumers pause as well.

The wine industry saw an unprecedented cumulative contraction in 2025, with the largest one-year drop in volume. California alone saw a year-over-year shipment loss of $142 million, which represented 62% of the industry’s total value decline.

Tasting room traffic is down as well, and has been for several years. “Relying on people coming to the tasting room no longer works," one winemaker told Silicon Valley Bank in its 2026 State of the U.S. Wine Industry report.