01-05-2025
Just like the grapes, Lodi wineries are being crushed by several variables, including the current political climate
( LODI- Wineries are the economic engine of Lodi. And just like the grapes, the California wine industry has been crushed by cheap overseas imports and fewer consumers.
'[Wineries] are choosing to remove some of their vineyards now, pulling them out and looking at alternative crops to put in, and in some cases, they don't have the resources to do that,' Stuart Spencer, Executive Director of the Lodi Wine Grape Commission, said.
Mohr-Fry Ranches is one of the many grape growers in Lodi that have had to remove some of their vines.
Officials identify fatal Sacramento hit-and-run victim
The family-owned business has grown grapes for over 170 years. Jerry Fry is the President and tells FOX40 they've lost tens of thousands of dollars as a result of these recent challenges.
'The grower, in general, is a price taker and so we're dependent on consumption and everything else,' Fry said.
This is also affecting the greater community.
'When the agricultural economy struggles, the whole economy struggles here– the irrigation companies, the fertilizer companies, the farm workers,' Spencer said.
Unlike champagne, California wineries have also been falling flat due to a common concern at the top of everyone's minds: tariffs and trade wars.
'Wine is often a pawn in these larger trade wars,' Spencer said.
Canada is California's top wine importer, and the devastation from Canada's boycott of American wine and 25% import tax is just the beginning.
New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has promised never to bow down to Trump, and Stuart says California wineries have now reached another big fork in the road.
'[Lodi wineries] need to make decisions based on what they know right now,' Carney said. 'And you know, there are a number of properties up for sale, and there are people exiting the wine business.'
So will these tariffs protect domestic producers?
Both Spencer and Fry say it's too early to tell.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
