Sonoma winery to close tasting room as people drink less

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.

Set us as preferred After two decades in the business, Passaggio Wines is joining the ranks of California wineries forced to end operations.“After 20 incredible years in the wine business, I’ve made the very difficult decision to close the Passaggio Wines tasting room at Jack London Village at the end of October,” owner Cindy Cosco said in an Instagram post last week.The Sonoma County producer will close its tasting room after seeing a steady decline in sales, Cosco said.The winery stopped production last year.

Cosco estimated that the wine tasting room has seen a 40% decline over the last few years, including revenue losses from patrons canceling their wine club memberships.“The numbers just don’t work,” Cosco said.“You just can’t bring enough revenue to support what you’re trying to do.”The tasting room hosted an array of events, including live music as well as birthday and anniversary celebrations.Cosco got her start in the wine industry in San Francisco in the mid-2000s.

In 2007, she joined a shared winemaking facility in San Francisco as a lab manager, according to Passaggio’s website.The following year, Cosco established Passaggio with 50 cases of her flagship wine.

In 2014, she moved operations to Sonoma and opened Passaggio’s first tasting room, which she later relocated to its current Glen Ellen location.The winery’s website says Passaggio produced 1,700 cases of sparkling, white and red wines annually.Passaggio is far from alone, as other California wineries have announced closures and operational changes recently.Last month, California’s oldest family-run winery, Gundlach Bundschu, filed for bankruptcy protection.Earlier this year, family winery Gallo announced plans to lay off more than 90 employees by the end of January 2027 and close a Napa Valley winemaking facility.Constellation B...