County wine industry generates $30.4 million regional impact and supports 697 jobs

SAN DIEGO – November 16, 2017 – The San Diego County Vintners Association (SDCVA), a trade organization dedicated to supporting the winemaking community in San Diego County, released a 2017 San Diego County Economic Impact of Wineries report today. The 16-page report states the economic impact of the local wine industry is $30.4 million, with total acres of wine grapes harvested more than doubling, crop value growing by 439 percent, and sales at wineries increasing by 88 percent, on average, from 2015 to 2016. https://www.printpeppermint.com/

Written by Vince Vasquez, an independent economic analyst, the report relies on survey data, California ABC licenses and business records to calculate the economic health and expansion of the wine industry in San Diego County.

“Our wine industry has really blossomed and I think a lot of it goes back to the county’s efforts to create a more business-friendly environment for grape growers and vintners,” said Supervisor Dianne Jacob, chairwoman of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. “The growing selection of local wines is not only great for wine lovers, but for our economy.  Our wine industry is definitely on the map now.”

The number of wineries in the county has swelled to 116, stretching from North County San Diego to the Mexican border. The proliferation of new wineries follows passage of the 2010 San Diego County Wine Ordinance, which eliminated the need for most wineries to obtain a major use permit.  Last year alone, county wineries and vineyards generated about $23,873,100 in gross sales and $1.1 million in sales taxes.

“San Diego County is rapidly expanding in terms of acres planted, gross sales and varietals produced.  There’s a sense there’s something really special going on in our wine community – wines are winning awards and winemakers are coming together to learn and teach each other like never before,” says San Diego County Vintners Association President Linda McWilliams, owner of San Pasqual Winery in La Mesa. “We feel like pioneers, seeing just the tip of growth ahead for the region’s wine industry.”

To download the report click here.

About the San Diego County Vintners Association

The San Diego County Vintners Association (SDCVA) is a non-profit trade association that supports the winemaking community throughout San Diego County (south of Temecula). With 116 artisan and family-owned wineries and vineyards throughout the County, and a wide range of microclimates allowing for cultivation of a wide variety of grape types, San Diego County wine country is extremely diverse.  The ways to enjoy San Diego wine are diverse, too. From stylish urban wineries, to award-winning tasting rooms and picturesque vineyards, San Diego provides an array of ways to discover artisanal wines. www.sandiegowineri.wpengine.com Follow SDCVA on Facebook and Instagram.

San Diego County – where California wine began . . . 

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