Targeting 'Fun' Over 'Wine': Wineries Uprooting Grapevines

This is a winery in Sonoma County, one of California's representative wine regions in the United States.

Sunflowers are in full bloom in a place that should be densely packed with grapevines.

A business that has operated a winery here for over 40 years recently uprooted some of its grapevines and planted more than 3,000 sunflowers in their place.

It is a bold strategic shift prompted by a global decline in wine consumption, leading to an oversupply.

[Corey Manning / Winery CEO: As you move toward younger consumer demographics, the preferences for beverages themselves are shifting.]

Wine consumption in the United States, the world's largest market, decreased by about 4 percent in 2025 compared to the previous year.

As health-conscious awareness spreads, alcohol consumption itself has decreased, and with a growing number of younger generations seeking alternative beverages instead of wine, wine consumption continues to drop.

Consequently, wineries that can no longer survive on wine sales alone are transforming their vineyards into photogenic tourist attractions to draw crowds.

In fact, over a period of about one year starting in 2024, the vineyards that disappeared in Sonoma County, California, reached 2,700 acres, equivalent to about four times the area of Yeouido.

[Don Amundson / Winery Visitor: It's pretty and makes you feel good. It feels like a wonderful garden. I think it can bring joy to people even if it's not necessarily wine.]

As consumer preferences change, the traditional landscape of the wine industry is also transforming.

(Video by Lee Hee-hoon | Video Editing by Chae Chul-ho)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.