05/22/2026
🎤 '26 Spring Conference Session Spotlight: Changing Commodity Markets: California's (Wine) Grapes of Wrath
At our Spring Conference, panelists took a deeper look at the challenges facing California’s wine grape industry and made clear that this is about more than declining demand. The conversation explored changing consumer preferences, trade policy, regional disparities, strained grower-winery relationships and the growing pressure water scarcity is placing on an already vulnerable market.
Key Takeaways:
🍇 This Is More Than a Supply-and-Demand Story – Panelists emphasized that while wine consumption trends are shifting, the crisis is also being shaped by structural market issues, including imported bulk wine and federal trade policies that can disadvantage California growers.
📉 The Industry Is Splitting in Different Directions – While premium wine continues to perform relatively well, the lower-priced segment has been hit especially hard, creating very different realities for growers depending on region, scale and market focus.
🤝 Grower-Winery Relationships Are Under Strain – With oversupply and market pressure intensifying, many growers are facing contract uncertainty, weaker pricing and increased financial risk, leaving some without viable paths forward.
💧 Water Is a Defining Factor – The session underscored how water availability and long-term pressures tied to SGMA are reshaping decisions on what gets planted, what gets removed and who can remain competitive.
🌾 Regional Impacts Are Not the Same – From boutique operations in Temecula to high-volume producers in the Central Valley, panelists highlighted how geography, access to water, and business model all influence how the crisis is unfolding.
🏛️ Policy Reform Is Part of the Conversation – A major takeaway was that meaningful solutions may require more than market correction alone. Panelists called for greater awareness from policymakers and a closer look at trade, labor and water policies affecting the future of the industry.
🙏 A big thank you to the panelists for sharing a candid and multi-dimensional look at an issue with major implications for California agriculture, water and regional economies.
Darcy Burke, UWI; Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District
John Chandler, Chandler Farms; California Association of Winegrape Growers
J.D. Harkey, Drake Enterprises
Glenn Spyksma, South San Joaquin Irrigation District
👉 From statewide policy issues to the real-world impacts on communities and industries, UWI conferences create space for the conversations that matter. Be sure to register for the upcoming Annual Conference and join us in San Diego: urbanwater.com/events/2026-annual-conference
