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Key policy changes in Livermore Valley iew:
Changes give wine country a chance to grow in a challenging marketplace
Earlier this summer county supervisors passed key policy changes that gives the vision for Livermore Valley’s wine country a chance to thrive.
The wine country received a major boost when the South Livermore Valley Plan was established in the 1990s that mandated planting an acre of grapes or other irrigated trees (olives) in exchange for every residential building permit and an acre dedicated to housing. That jump started vineyard planting—as well as the 500 acres of olive trees at the Crohare farm on Arroyo Road, but those vines are now nearing the end of their useful life. Not so with the olives—those who have been to the Holy Land probably have seen olive trees that date to the life of Jesus.
Whether it pencils to replant the vines was the focus of a study by a UC Davis team that also looked at the vision from the 1990s and how it’s played out. The Covid lockdown resulted in arduous negotiations between Jean King of Friends of the Vineyards and other groups known to oppose development and David Kent, former president of The Wine Group, and husband of Darcie Kent whose vineyards are on Telsa Road. The Kents also live “across the street” in the Crane Ridge project of 20-acre home and vineyard sites near Poppy Ridge golf course.
While the total agricultural acreage feel short of the goal, it was the supporting infrastructure and services that never emerged. There’s only one lodging property, the Purple Orchid Inn, and limited event space other than wineries and no restaurants or easy places to pick up a sandwich. The lack of municipal sewer lines resulted in septic tanks limiting development.
The supervisors’ unanimous vote this month followed easy voter approval of expanding Livermore sewer services without opposition on what was formerly a hill anti-growth people would die on.
The policy changes in the East County Area Plan allow clustering of lodging, restaurant sites, food stores and other amenities.
The key question now is whether they will work and attract investment. The Livermore Valley has its giant, Wente Vineyards, that exports around the world and has invested time and treasure in growing the area. What’s missing is mid-sized wineries that grew from a hobby into a small profitable business and then expanded its distribution to grow farther.
This has taken place when the California wine industry is facing major challenges. Demand for coastal wine grapes had been growing steadily at a double digit rate for more than 30 years. Not only has that stopped—it’s dropped, sharply. Remember the news stories about premium Napa Valley grapes rotting on the vine last fall because there was no market for them. The winery sales have increased and this week, Gallo, the state’s largest winery, shuttered its entire Paso Robles operation.
Locally, Supervisor David Haubert, Livermore Valley Wine Country, Kent and others have been striving to build a reputation for the area built around historic grapes such as Cab Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. Ironically, the clones for both Chardonnay (the most planted variety in the state) and Cabernet Sauvignon originate from the valley’s historic wineries, Wente and Concannon, respectively.
They’ve also mounted new initiatives. Haubert and the wine association have built a consortium of smaller wine regions from around the world and hosted them this summer.
The Kents and Lemmon Family Vineyards acquired the entire Concannon site and its sprawling production facility late in 2024 and have plans to use the production building as an incubator. The Kents also operate a second winery, Almost Famous, with an entertainment stage on Vasco Road.
There’s no denying the Livermore Valley’s place in history—the rocky period when suburban housing and punitive taxes (pre Williamson Act) almost wiped it out—and now an uncertain future given the industry-wide trends.
It’s been characterized by innovation and grit over the years—time will tell how it plays out.
