The wine industry continues to wobble, as evidenced by the 2025 crop report, which showed Monterey County wine grapes declined in gross value for a second consecutive year, falling 25 percent.
Local leaders hope reviving the Agricultural Winery Corridor Plan could help change that. Originally requested by the now-disbanded Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association in 2001, the plan was intended to find ways to keep the local wine industry economically viable.
“We understand that the wine industry has been impacted since the adoption of the 2010 General Plan,” Assistant Planner Katie Scariot told the County Planning Commission on July 8. “We hope the implementation of the Ag Wine Corridor Plan can help support the industry better.”
The plan aims to encourage agricultural and winery-related development within three areas of unincorporated Monterey County: along River Road, Metz Road in the Central Salinas Valley and Jolon Road in South County. The plan identifies where winery-related businesses could locate, what types of facilities and how many would be allowed, clustering businesses intended to help growers diversify their revenue streams.
One goal is to move beyond grape production by creating higher-value wine experiences. Uses include artisan wineries with small, on-site wine production, tasting rooms and restaurants. Hospitality uses also include the creation of inns and venues for occasions like weddings, release parties and industry events to increase foot traffic.
Commissioners debated how to craft an ordinance that supports the wine industry without being so exclusive that it locks out broader agritourism opportunities. Some also questioned whether a wine-centered plan remains relevant today given the decline in wine consumption as a whole.
“People are not drinking like they used to,” Commissioner Francisco Mendoza said at the July workshop. “It would be a good idea to concentrate on some of the other ways they can generate revenue, which are your hotels, maybe loosen it where it makes it easier to have events.”
The Planning Commission is set to hold a public hearing on the proposal on Aug. 12.
(1) comment
This is not realistic. If tasting rooms lowered their prices and credited tasting fees toward purchase, they might stay in business. Certainly the county should make doing business easy but not at the expense of the environment. Hotels and restaurants in the Gabilan or Santa Lucia Mountains are just not going to survive.
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