Interest in opening new wineries in county has sustained throughout COVID-19 pandemic, despite decline in overall gross sales, demonstrating optimism among wine makers in region
SAN DIEGO–The San Diego County Vintners Association (SDCVA), a trade organization dedicated to supporting the winemaking community in San Diego County, released the 2021 San Diego County Economic Impact of Wineries report. Like some other business sectors, the COVID-19 crisis negatively impacted the San Diego County wine industry. According to the report, county wineries realized about $37.1 million in gross sales last year, a 19.6% decline from an all-time-high of sales reached in 2019 ($46.2 million). Simultaneously, the number of wineries rose to 150 in the county over the same time. Regional wine industry jobs also saw a slight increase with 720 wine industry jobs in 2020, an increase of 2.6% over 2019 and 17.7% higher than the 2018 total.
San Diego County vineyards harvested 3,596 tons of wine grapes in 2019, generating a $5.58 million production value, with a sales price of $1,552 per ton, a record amount achieved in the region. The top five varietals grown, cultivated and/or sold in the region were Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Sangiovese, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.
Written by Vince Vasquez, independent economic analyst and executive director of the Policycraft Institute, the report relies on survey data, economic modeling software, California ABC licenses, and County records to calculate the economic health of the wine industry in San Diego County.San Diego wineries remain optimistic on the industry’s ability to grow despite recent setbacks caused by the crises of the past year.
“Even with challenges from the pandemic, we saw innovative sales strategies among local wineries such as curbside pickup and outside service reservations – demonstrating the innovation and resilience of our wineries in the face of unprecedented times,” says San Diego County Vintners Association President Ed Embly, owner of Hungry Hawk Vineyards in Escondido. “We continue to see the number of wineries grow in the county and a bright future for the industry in our region.”
