Valley News

3/11/07 Time for a new approach? -- Suisun Valley wine growers seek different methods to grow business
By Ines Bebea - Daily Republic

Wooden Valley Winery in Suisun Valley is one of the wineries searching for winning formulas to market and promote what it has to offer. (Photo by Zachary Kaufman)

FAIRFIELD - Being a grape grower is not what it used to be, at least not in Suisun Valley.

Life was a lot easier not too long ago when all growers had to do was grow their grapes and ship them to surrounding vineyards to be processed for wine. But with changing county regulations, a global economy that is increasing competition and lowering prices on most commodities, Suisun Valley grape growers are at a crossroads and looking for new strategies to survive.

'Our goal as wine grape growers is for people to look for our label and recognize Suisun Valley products,' said Ron Lanza, owner of Wooden Valley Winery and Vineyards and vice president of the Suisun Valley Grape Growers Association. 'Right now, we are not promoted as well as Napa or have that name recognition.'

According to Lanza, only 3 percent to 4 percent of the grapes grown in the valley are used by local vintners to make wine, with the rest being sold to other wine makers in the state and throughout the country. The wine industry in California is a thriving business, with an annual impact of $51.8 billion to the states economy and $103 billion to the national economy.

To capitalize on the industrys potential, Lanza and Steven Tenbrink of the Tenbrink Ranch on Wednesday traveled to King of Prussia, Pa., to attend the Wines Unlimited trade show on a scouting mission for new grape buyers.

'There are a lot of wineries in the East Coast who already buy grapes from California,' Lanza said. 'The event gave us an opportunity to find new avenues for our products.'

Another avenue Lanza and his members have been considering is bringing in more restaurants, launching a farmers market and opening additional wine tasting rooms in Suisun Valley. But he admits that county regulations and a lack of unity from the growers in the past has gotten in the way.

'I think both sides (the growers and county officials) have had an impact in our current scenario,' Lanza said. 'If we could get more businesses here, it would make us a more attractive destination.'

Winning counties

Other counties have found winning formulas to market and promote what their agricultural industries have to offer. At a Feb. 27 workshop sponsored by the University of California, Cooperative Extension, Solano County, the Agricultural Issue Center at University of California Davis, and the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, representatives from Yolo, Marin and Placer Counties shared what worked in getting their agriculture to be a profitable business.

The workshop, titled 'Promoting Local Agriculture: The Role of County Government,' was the third in a series of four that are intended to discuss issues and concerns of Solano County farmers. The next workshop will be held on Thursday, and it will deal with agricultural entrepreneurship and developing agricultural enterprising zones.

'In order to be successful you need to have a Board of Supervisors who believes in the agricultural industry, ' said Rick Landon, agricultural commissioner for Yolo County. 'You need to have a voice in the political process where they see the importance of your contribution to the economy and the society.'

While there will always be a struggle between parties interested in development in urban areas and those who want to keep farms in business, the brunt of the support must come from elected officials to help with the vision, he added.

'In order for things to get done, you have to work with people who want to be part of the solution,' Landon said. 'You dont want people who are from either extreme of the equation, because they will get in the way.'

As far as the Suisun Valley Grape Growers Association is concerned, the jury is still out on what the county will do the help them survive.

'We need special zoning to allow us to be successful,' said Steve Tenbrink, whose biggest grape buyer is the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. 'Right now, we are surviving because we are selling our grapes to other people, but we cant base our entire industry and future on that.'

The role of government

But Mike Reagan, chairman of the Solano County Board of Supervisors, said help will be made available when the agricultural community asks for what it needs.

'For the last two years , we have been trying to change the direction away from the talk process,' Reagan said. 'Agriculture is an enterprise business and we are serious about making it profitable. Their economic impact is a quarter of the county economy, but agro-tourism is not a solution that will work for everyone.'

The issues affecting the grape growers and vintners are a small fraction of the agricultural situation in Solano County, he added. On one hand, he attributed the critical state of the wineries to the lack of a strong voice in the political arena, with the other problem being officials who dont see the agricultural industry as a viable industry.

'They cant assume that we know what they want,' Reagan said. 'They have a farm bureau, and we are always encouraging them to be more active and have a political voice. We have to find a way to unify all farmers. We cant do it by force.'

But Reagan did acknowledge some of the requirements for getting permits have been part of the problem. But for the Board of Supervisors to try to rectify that, it has to be as a collaborative effort from all sectors in the industry.

'The current marketing and promotion of the agricultural industry in Solano County is where Placer County was 12 years ago,' said Jack Batson, Fairfield vice mayor and the only elected official at the Feb. 27 workshop. 'As far as elected officials, some have expressed interest but we havent done a lot. But the current Board of Supervisors seems to want to provide a more active support. '

The agricultural and farming industries vary widely throughout the county, he agreed, adding the diversity of Suisun Valley is a great tool to build for agro-tourism.

'We are sitting on a gold mine as far as Suisun Valley is concerned,' said Batson, who also serves as chairman of the Suisun Valley Fund Advisory Committee. 'The valley is close to the Bay Area, its right on the freeway from where people can easily see it, it has abundant water and a lot of flatland compared to what Placer County has. If done properly, we will have exceptional success.'

Reach Ines Bebea at 427-6934 or ibebea@dailyrepublic.net.

BY THE NUMBERS

Three or four: Percent of grapes grown in Suisun Valley used by local vintners to make wine

Nine: Wineries producing wines under the Suisun Valley appellation

20: Varieties grown in Suisun Valley

33: Growers in Suisun Valley Grape Growers Association

$51.8 billion: Wine industrys annual impact on Californias economy

Source: Suisun Valley Grape Growers Association

Click here to go back to Valley News