A new study shows California’s wine and winegrape industry contributed $57.6 billion to the state’s economy and $114.1 billion to the U.S. economy in 2015. The study commissioned by the Wine Institute and California Association of Winegrape Growers measures the sector’s economic impact regarding employment, wages, taxes, tourism spending and visits. Wine Institute CEO Robert Koch says “California wine is an economic engine for our nation.” The report shows growth of 17 percent in statewide impact, from $49.2 to $57.6 billion, and 19 percent in national impact from $96 billion to $114.1 billion in the past seven years. The report goes on to say the strong growth during a period that started with the Great Recession and continued with slow recovery shows the strength and resiliency of the nation’s number one wine-producing state as a positive economic force across the nation.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.