Manny’s: Chronicle Live at Manny’s: California Wine at a Crossroads

California wine is in a moment of flux. After 25 years of almost unfettered growth, wine sales in the United States have suddenly dropped, and the industry is reeling.

Young people are drinking less than older generations or not at all. Wineries can’t sell all the bottles they produced. Vineyard owners have planted too many grapes, while the wine buying public is still sipping through pandemic bottle stashes.

So, where does California wine go from here?

That’s the subject of the next Chronicle Live at Manny’s at 6 p.m. on June 20. Join Chronicle Wine Critic Esther Mobley for a tasting and conversation with vintners Megan Bell of Margins Wine, Jason Haas of Tablas Creek Vineyards and Beth Weber Novak of Spottswoode Winery.

All three winemakers will share tastes of their wines as they discuss the state of California wine and the many challenges facing it, from climate change to shifts in consumer tastes. And they’ll look at how California’s $55 billion wine industry is evolving to meet the moment.

Tickets include event admission and wine tasting. Get your tickets today!

You’ll hear from:

Esther Mobley, senior wine critic, San Francisco Chronicle

Esther Mobley has covered California wine, beer and spirits for the Chronicle since 2015. Previously, she was an assistant editor at Wine Spectator magazine in New York.

Megan Bell, Founder, Margins Wine

Margins produces low-intervention wines using organic grapes from underrepresented regions, vineyards, and varietals. Prior to settling in Santa Cruz, owner and winemaker Megan Bell received her BS in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis in 2012 and apprenticed in wineries and vineyards in Napa Valley, the Livermore Valley, the Willamette Valley, Central Otago (New Zealand), and the Loire (France). She started Margins in 2016 with a modest crowdfunding campaign to create eight barrels of Chenin blanc. Margins now produces about 2,800 cases annually of more than 20 wines.

Jason Haas, Partner and General Manager at Tablas Creek Vineyard:

Jason Haas is the second-generation proprietor of Tablas Creek, serving in the dual roles of Partner and General Manager and directing operations there for two decades. In addition to his work at Tablas Creek, Jason has led the boards of directors of both the Rhone Rangers and the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance, and is a board member of Free the Grapes and WineAmerica. He is principal author of the Tablas Creek blog, and his writing has been published in Wine Business Monthly, Wines & Vines, Decanter, Wine Industry Network and Wine Searcher. Jason was voted by his peers 2015 Paso Robles Wine Country Wine Industry Person of the Year and 2017 San Luis Obispo County Wine Industry Person of the Year, and in 2022 was named a Food & Wine Magazine Drinks Innovator of the Year.

Beth Weber Novak, president and CEO, Spottswoode Winery:

In 1987, Beth Weber Novak joined her mother, Mary Novak, becoming the first second-generation family member to become actively involved in guiding Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery. In the almost four decades since, Beth has played a key role in establishing Spottswoode as one of the world’s most highly regarded winegrowing sites, and as one of Napa Valley’s most iconic and respected wineries. She has also quietly built a reputation as a leader in the Napa Valley community, advocating on behalf of the wine industry, and the social and environmental causes about which she is deeply passionate.

Photo by: Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle