Sonoma County Winegrowers & Sonoma County Vintners Announcement

Beginning in 2027, a new “Sonoma County Wine” membership will be launched for area wineries to consider joining.  It is a merger of the Sonoma County Winegrowers’ (SCW) existing Winery Collaborative and the Sonoma County Vintners’ (SCV) membership to provide a more unified voice promoting Sonoma wines.  SCW will also establish a new Wine Marketing Committee which will be comprised of current board members from both SCW and SCV. This committee will provide input on marketing programs to the SCW board of directors.

As the wine industry continues to face challenges, the boards of both the SCW and SCV established a wine industry task force earlier this year to explore how best to serve the local wine industry.  The task force focused on eliminating duplication of resources and improving efficiencies to provide a stronger marketing effort promoting Sonoma wines.  As part of this review, SCV fielded a survey of nearly 100 vintners which found a strong majority “strongly supported” or “supported” exploring integrating the two memberships into one membership.  This drove the establishment of Sonoma County Wine.

Acknowledging the realities of today’s market, a wine industry task force was established earlier this year to explore merging resources to more effectively promote Sonoma wines.

Yes, this was approved unanimously by both boards.

SCW and SCV agreed to merge their two winery memberships (SCW’s Winery Collaborative and SCV) to create one “Sonoma County Wine” membership which will be managed and owned by SCW.  The 2026 winery memberships for both organizations will be honored and continue through the end of the year.  SCV will manage their planned activities through September 30^th and will transition their three remaining 2026 Pour & Explore events to SCW for implementation.  Additional SCV assets are being purchased by SCW.

The Winery Collaborative was established by the SCW a few years ago as a marketing resource to introduce Sonoma County wines to broader audiences through high-profile, non-traditional marketing channels in sports, media and hospitality.  Since it was established, the Winery Collaborative launched the first-ever Major League Baseball wine club in partnership with the San Francisco Giants, as well as, collaborating with professional sports franchises including the Coachella Valley Firebirds, Chicago Bears, and Houston Rockets—to reach new audiences and drive consumer engagement.

Sonoma County Wine will be managed by Sonoma County Winegrowers and supported by the new Wine Marketing Committee.

SCV is a membership organization that represents wineries throughout the county. The organization actively promotes Sonoma County and its world-class wineries through educational programming and marketing initiatives; and advocates for its members at local, state, and federal levels.

With the establishment of Sonoma County Wine, local wineries will be encouraged to join as members. SCV will be winding down its operation by the end of 2026.

The global wine industry has been struggling for the past few years.  The Sonoma County wine community has never shied away from change.  Given the market, vintners and growers began exploring how best to promote Sonoma wines.  That led to this approach.

Financial sustainability was one of several factors considered, but it was not the primary driver of this decision. Like many membership organizations, SCV has experienced declining membership and rising costs in recent years. At the same time, both SCV and SCW’s Winery Collaborative have been working to support Sonoma County wineries through programs that, in some cases, overlap. As the boards evaluated the future, it became clear that a more coordinated approach could reduce duplication, better align resources, and create a stronger, more unified voice for Sonoma County wine.

Membership in Sonoma County Wine is voluntary, and each winery can choose to join or not.

Wineries will not have to pay the current combined fees of both memberships. The fee structure for the unified membership is currently being finalized and will be announced prior to the 2027 membership year. The goal is to create a streamlined, non-duplicative membership model that delivers greater value by combining the benefits, programs, and services previously offered through separate organizations. Our intent is to ensure wineries receive enhanced support, access, and opportunities through a single membership investment.

Sonoma County Wines will be a voluntary, dues-paying organization.  Input on the marketing programs and budget will be provided by the new Wine Marketing Committee.

Yes, it can and SCW has been doing this for the past few years with its marketing sponsorship program, the Winery Collaborative.

Yes. Supporting wineries of all sizes is a core priority of the new membership model. Both Sonoma County Winegrowers’ Winery Collaborative and Sonoma County Vintners have successfully served many small and family-owned wineries by providing access to marketing opportunities, industry connections, education, and programs that would be difficult to access independently. Those benefits will continue and be strengthened through the new unified membership.

Under state law governing commissions, Sonoma County Winegrowers board members must be winegrape growers who pay the grower assessment. Many Sonoma County growers are also winery owners or are actively involved in winery operations, creating strong connections between both sectors of the industry.  In fact, 13 of the 21 current SCW board members either own, operate, or are closely connected to wineries. This includes a current Sonoma County Vintners board member who was recently elected to serve a new two-year term on the SCW board. This strong overlap helps ensure winery perspectives are represented as SCW continues to support both winery members and growers, providing a unified voice and greater value for Sonoma County’s wine and winegrowing community.

There are no changes to either foundation as part of this agreement. The Sonoma County Grape Growers Foundation and the Sonoma County Vintners Foundation will remain separate legal entities with their own board, governance structure, and charitable mission. Any future decisions regarding either foundation will be made independently and through the appropriate governance process.

Exploration is underway to evaluate the future of government affairs and determine the best path forward for representing the interests of Sonoma County’s wine community. No decisions have been made, and any future direction will be shared as those discussions progress.