Vineyard owners who neglect their grape crops could be fined under new law
The New Year always brings a new crop of state laws, and one of them, Assembly Bill 732, offers a way to protect the health of Bay Area wine grapes. But the law is also an indicator of the poor health of the industry itself, as some producers look for a way to put the dream of that perfect vintage on hold.
Planting a vineyard in the Bay Area can cost between $30,000 and $80,000 per acre, but some are choosing to just leave them sit rather than pay to maintain them. But that can cause disease and pest problems for their neighbors, so the State passed AB 732, giving counties the power to fine the owners of neglected vineyards from $500 to $1,000 per acre if they don't take care of them.
This year, Sonoma County Ag Commissioner Andrew Smith said the tough economic climate for the wine industry is forcing growers to make tough choices
"We've seen a lot of vineyard acreage come out," he said. "And for other remaining acreage, vineyard managers and property owners are evaluating, 'Do we replant, do we try to park this? What can we do to maintain it so that we can hit 'go' again if the market recovers?'"
But Smith said some owners are making another choice.
"We did receive a number of localized complaints of abandoned vineyards and/or orchards," he said.
Chris Chen is a researcher for UC Cooperative Extension. He is studying what it would take to safely "mothball" a vineyard, keeping it alive for future production, without incurring a huge cost.
"There's no published, peer-reviewed research on the subject because this is new, right? We haven't had to deal with a market downturn like this in the past--the way it's going right now," he said. "It's a new concept. We're not really sure how to do it. You know what you're getting when you remove your vineyard, versus when you put it into a stasis, more or less, a hibernation state. We're not sure how that's going to affect the vineyard long term yet."
The AG commissioner said many of the abandonments occur when the properties are sold and left vacant for long periods of time. Smith said he hopes fining owners is a tool that he will not have to use. Either way, he thinks it spells trouble for small operators.
"Maybe gone are the days of the micro-vineyards that are profitable," he said.