California’s wine country is feeling the squeeze — and fast. At least five wineries have suddenly closed or scaled back operations in 2025, a sign that the Golden State’s once-booming wine business is facing real trouble.
One of the biggest shocks came from Twomey, part of the famous Silver Oak Cellars wine family, which abruptly closed its Calistoga and Anderson Valley (Philo) tasting rooms early in the year. Loyal customers were caught off guard, as both locations had been staples for years.
Around the same time, Newton Vineyard announced the shutdown of its entire operations, largely due to the aftereffects of the 2020 Glass Fire.
In San Francisco in the summer, August West Wines—the city’s last large-scale winery—has also shut down its city operation, ending an era of urban winemaking in the Bay Area. In addition to its namesake, it made Sandler and Mansfield-Dunne wines…