Acres of California vineyards are being torn out marking a problematic sign for the state’s wine industry. Oversupply and a national decline in wine consumption are to blame, leaving farmers holding a surplus of fruit. There are also costs associated with planting, maintaining and harvesting a vineyard. Jeff Bitter with Allied Grape Growers says the state’s wine grape acreage has decreased by 18-thousand acres. Bitter told the SF Chronicle the state needs to remove an additional 50-thousand acres to reach equilibrium. All of California is not equal. Bitter recommends that Napa and Sonoma counties remove only five-thousand acres, as opposed to the 15-thousand he suggests for the Lodi/Delta area.
