A proposal to create a Sonoma County Wine Improvement District to fund marketing efforts through a small fee at wineries was met with such controversy that supporters of the WID put the plan on hold mere weeks after floating the idea. While the initial fallout from the proposal was divisive within the Sonoma wine industry, the debate ultimately underscored a harsh reality in these challenging dimes of decreasing wine tastings, consumption and revenue—the center cannot hold. New ideas will be critical for the future of the industry. And, while the WID concept was paused, the debate itself ended up being a net positive for the wine community—sparking a collaborative endeavor between wineries, growers and organizations that is bearing fruit. The initial proposal for an improvement district that would levy a tax on direct-to-consumer sales was advanced by local industry groups Sonoma County Winegrowers and Sonoma County Vintners in July. It set off fireworks, with debate bubbling over at a Sonoma County Winegrape Commission meeting, with over 800 people signing a petition in opposition. Since then, a grassroots movement led by a longtime Sonoma County winery owner has given birth to a series of marketing proposals brainstormed by the wine community, at least one of which was implemented almost immediately, with others in the works. Meanwhile, the improvement district proposal is on hold until at least the end of October. “The good news in all of this is we’re already moving in the right direction,” says Karissa Kruse, president of Sonoma County Winegrowers. “I think for a long time we’ve been in silos and have not been having the hard conversations about what has been happening. Probably neighbors were talking and peers to peers, but we haven’t been having these community-based conversations.” Kruse was referring to the heart of the matter: The region’s signature industry is facing a slumping market amid sluggish sales and changing demographics. Wine consumption in the United States began decreasing in 2021, according to Wine Spectator magazine. The pain is being felt across the country and in Sonoma County, with lower tasting room traffic and declining sales combined with supply-side surpluses. In response, some growers have ripped out vines and some wineries had to conduct layoffs. While the improvement district proposal sparked hot debate, there’s one thing all parties agree on: Something must be done, and quickly, to stem the ongoing downturn in wine consumption that hit the county so hard. “The goal is more people coming to Sonoma County and visiting the tasting rooms, the wineries, the vineyards,” Kruse notes. The winegrowers and vintners associations presented the Wine Improvement District proposal as a way to bolster local wine businesses. Ironically, the proposal appears to have united the wine community, first factionally—in support or opposition—and then in collective action. Adam Lee, producer-owner of Clarice Wine Company and author of the WID opposition petition, called for marketing suggestions in an August Facebook post and got a deluge of ideas.
Karissa Kruse, president of Sonoma County Winegrowers
“The collaborative spirit I’ve seen in the wine community is inspiring,” Lee says. “I received some three dozen ideas in two days. People jumped at the chance to help shape the marketing efforts and do the work to get them going,” Lee says. In his post, Lee also invited members of the wine community to
October 2025
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