The continued success of California wine demands an investment in the future, California Gov. Gavin Newsom told the audience at the New York Wine Experience. “There are a number of areas where we are clearly excelling, and areas we need to accelerate our investment. It's the old adage: You don't do well in the future if you don't invest in the future.”
Newsom was scheduled to speak live at the event but was forced to cancel on short notice, after being asked by the Israeli government to visit Tel Aviv following the outbreak of the war with Hamas. (California is providing medical supplies to Israel and Gaza as part of humanitarian relief efforts.) Instead, the governor recorded a 10-minute video detailing California’s road ahead.
“Today, California accounts for 80 percent of all U.S. wine production and its wine industry employs nearly half a million Californians. That generates $73 billion in annual economic activity. By the way, that's more than a lot of gross domestic products of many nations,” Newsom said. “No state in America is investing more in wine education. California is the center of the innovation economy.”
Newsom was a founding partner of the PlumpJack Group, a wine, food and hospitality company that includes three Napa Valley wineries: PlumpJack, Cade Estate and Odette. Cade, which was one of the first two LEED Gold certified wineries in Napa Valley (Odette followed later), provided its Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain 2019 (93 points) for guests to enjoy. (Newsom put his ownership interest in PlumpJack Group into a blind trust when he became governor.)
Innovation is vital now, Newsom said, particularly as the state addresses climate change. He singled out issues such as extreme heat, scarcity of water resources, sustainability and regenerative farming practices to illustrate his point.
A thriving workforce is also key to success in the future, he told the gathering. “We don’t just tolerate diversity in California, we celebrate it. And as a consequence of that, we're able to recruit and reward a diverse workforce at every level of our wine industry. That's a point of pride. It's also important to know that California wouldn't scapegoat those coming to our state to pursue their dreams; we support them as well.”
Finally, Newsom talked about appealing to a wider audience of wine consumers. “We have to do more to work together to attract a more diverse customer base, because as we know, the current growth trends aren't good enough. A sustainable industry must do more to market to women and diverse communities, particularly young adults.”
Following the video, Wine Spectator editor and publisher Marvin R. Shanken invited Roger Nabedian, the longtime head of E.&J. Gallo’s premium wine division, to offer his insights about the future of California wine. Mirroring Newsom’s earlier comment, he said sustainability “is becoming much more important to consumers. And it's the right thing to do.”
At one point, Nabedian asked the audience “How many of you in the room are under 40 years old? How many of you are under 30?” Only a few hands were raised. “That's our problem,” he said. “So, as we think about the future, we have to think about how to create products that appeal to consumers that are more diverse, younger, so that we can fill this room 20 and 30 years from now.”
