Lodi

That means about 400,000 tons of winegrapes were left on the vines to rot, much of that in Lodi in the upper San Joaquin Valley, home to vast acreages of high-production grapes for cheaper wine that are more susceptible to import competition.

Craig Ledbetter, a third generation farmer who owns and manages about 18,000 acres of winegrapes from Mendocino to Santa Barbara, says he left more than 10% of the grapes in Lodi unpicked last year.

He also ripped out several hundred acres of vineyards in Lodi and elsewhere, permanently removing them from production, while also planting more pistachios.

He and other growers in Lodi blame imports for a lot of their financial problems.

“There’s no defense of this,” says Stuart Spencer, executive director of the Lodi Winegrape Commission, which represents more than 750 winegrape growers.