Napa Valleywineries have been getting some stiff competitionfrom the county to the north as of late, withSonoma County tasting roomsseeing far more visitors keeping sommeliers on the job.
The 2026 Tasting Room Survey Report found that there was a smaller decline in foot traffic at wineries in California than in previous years, according toWine Business Monthly.
While thenews for the wine industry as a wholeis still not great, a recent report gave a glimmer of hope that things in the business aren’t as crushing as they were a year ago, at least in Sonoma.
The report looked at visitation data for more than 11,000 wineries across the county. The results showed that tasting room traffic dropped last year in both Sonoma County and Napa Valley.
However, Sonoma’s was far less worse. Napa was down by 18% in 2025 compared to the previous year, while Sonoma was only down 8%.
Wineries like Caddis Winery have seen things improve at their Sonoma Plaza tasting room compared to the previous years.
Pointing to the rollercoaster the business has experienced since the debut of the tasting room right before the pandemic shut down the world in 2020, co-owner Chris Sorensen said dips aren’t as bad as they once were.
“I’ve put a lot of effort into learning how to build and maintain customer relationships, and that’s made a real difference for our business,” Chris Sorensen told thePress Democrat.
“The biggest challenge now is predicting when people will show up. That has become very unpredictable, which can make planning difficult.”
The number ofAmerican adults who say they consume alcoholhas fallen to 54%, according to an August 2025 Gallup poll, a challenge the wine industry continues to navigate.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
