USA

Wine Industry Advisor reports that Robert Mondavi Winery is reopening its Oakville estate on 20 April, timed to the brand’s 60th anniversary, after a three-year overhaul that adds a new hospitality wing, expanded tasting and culinary spaces, and a limited-edition commemorative Cabernet Sauvignon. The story is bigger than a simple reopening, because Constellation Brands has put more than US$200 million into the project, with new cellar technology, a stronger focus on site-driven winemaking, and a clearly more premium visitor offer aimed at restoring the estate’s status as one of Napa’s signature destinations.

Wine Enthusiast reports that new Wine Market Council findings point to some encouraging signs for wine despite persistent worries about falling sales and weaker engagement among older drinkers. Its summary says millennials are now the largest wine drinking cohort in the United States, Gen Z wine spend has risen 109% between 2020 and 2026, and younger consumers are showing more frequent drinking patterns, even if their total spend remains well below that of boomers.

Wine-Searcher reports that California’s 2025 grape crush fell to 2.76 million tons, including 2.62 million tons of wine grapes, making it the smallest wine grape harvest since 1999 and the smallest overall grape harvest since 1994. The report frames that as unexpectedly good news for drinkers because lower grape prices may push better coastal fruit into more affordable wines, while also stressing the more worrying backdrop for agriculture, including acreage removals, climate strain, rising costs and a structural shift towards white grapes, which overtook red grapes in the 2025 harvest.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that a long predicted wave of California winery closures and lay-offs is now landing, hitting both boutique producers and major groups as the industry confronts too much capacity for shrinking demand. The article says some large operators are consolidating production for efficiency, while smaller wineries that skipped making wine in 2025 are liquidating stock, and it frames the downturn as a forced reset where vineyard owners rethink what to plant, how to farm, and what consumers will actually buy, after US wine sales fell by about 2% by volume in 2025.

Wine Industry Advisor reports that the US Supreme Court is set to consider a petition in Day v Henry, a challenge to Arizona’s restrictions affecting shipments from out of state wine retailers, and that the National Association of Wine Retailers has filed an amicus brief urging the Court to take the case. The release argues the federal appeals courts are split on how to assess these laws under the Twenty First Amendment, and says the outcome could clarify whether states can justify discriminatory retailer shipping limits by calling them part of the three tier system without evidence.

CBS San Francisco reports that Gallo plans to permanently close its Ranch Winery in St Helena and reduce staff at four other winery and tasting room locations in Napa and Sonoma counties, totalling 93 job losses. The report says the planned changes were disclosed in a WARN notice filed with California, with layoffs expected to take effect in mid April, and it attributes the decision to shifting market dynamics, evolving consumer demand, and available capacity across Gallo’s wineries.

Farm Progress reports that California is on pace to remove another 40,000 acres of vineyards this year as growers respond to a structural oversupply of grapes. The article attributes the estimate to Allied Grape Growers president Jeff Bitter, and says a further 40,000 acres would take statewide vineyard area to about 473,000 acres, bringing supply closer to balance at current shipment rates. It also notes recent pullouts alongside new plantings, and references unsold fruit in 2025, with the broader industry debate focused on whether the market is nearing stabilisation.