Hello to all of our Wine Road Winery members,
We understand we are about to jump into a crazy busy time of year, harvest in wine country, which we all look forward to.
With harvest being top of mind, we still want to bring to your attention some meetings this week that you may want to add to your schedule.
The talk of the industry is the proposed Winery Improvement District (WID) and we want to make sure you are informed.
The Sonoma County Winegrowers shared an email to their distribution list yesterday that announced their decision to hold off on pursuing the Winery Improvement District (WID) for the time being, along with some points about their work/timeline of the WID to date. If you did not receive this email, it can be viewed here: https://mailchi.mp/sonomawinegrape.org/sonoma-county-winegrowers-annual-report-9613794?e=6a67382e26
We want to encourage all of our members get all of the information available to them regarding this proposal, in order to make a decision on their own and feel like they are part of the process. The more the facts are out there the less conjecture.
Next week, two meetings will be hosted that as a Board, we encourage our members to attend if possible.
Sonoma County Vintners “State of the Industry”- Wednesday, August 27 | 3:00pm-5:00pm
In the light of Sonoma County Vintners announcement of an interim Executive Director, Emilie Eliason, SCV invites the Sonoma County wine community to attend a State of the Industry meeting on Wednesday, August 27 @ Bacchus Landing in Healdsburg from 3:00pm-5:00pm. The agenda will focus on meeting Emile Eliason in person, engaging with SCV Board members, reviewing results of a member-wide survey they recently conducted, and an open discussion about a shared vision for Sonoma County wine.
Zoom Meeting-Independently-led by community members -Tuesday, August 26 | 4:00pm
A Note from the Organizer, Adam Lee
We all know there’s been plenty of press—and plenty of debate—around the proposed Sonoma County Wine Improvement District (WID).
But here’s something there’s no debate about: our industry needs action, and it needs it now.
Wine sales, grape sales, and winery visitation are all trending downward. What we’ve been doing isn’t working. We can’t afford to wait for someone else to solve these problems—we need fresh ideas from the people living and working in our AVAs every day.
As AVAs, we are doing everything we can to promote and market our partners, wineries, and growers—through initiatives, collaborations, and tireless nights of planning. But our efforts alone aren’t enough. We need support from county leadership, tourism organizations, and other key stakeholders to amplify our reach, secure long-term growth, and ensure Sonoma County remains a competitive, thriving wine region.
That’s why we’re sending this to you in collaboration with other winery partners throughout Sonoma County.
Submit Your Ideas
Email newsonomaideas@gmail.com with creative proposals—big or small, traditional or “out there.” Please group them as:
Short-Term / Quick Wins – things that can help right away
Long-Term Strategies – initiatives that need more time and planning
We’ll compile, organize, and share these ideas with the broader community.
Join the County-Wide Discussion
Join the Zoom conversation before harvest kicks into high gear, so we can bring every voice—large wineries, small wineries, WID supporters, WID opponents, and those still undecided—into the same room.
Date: Tuesday, August 26, 2025
Time: 4:00 PM PT
Meeting ID: 369 668 7793
Passcode: PN1994
Register Here: Join the Zoom Meeting
Regards,
Wine Road Staff & Board of Directors
- Posted in: Monday memo
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