MacLeod family sell its Sonoma Valley vineyard

MacLeod Family Vineyard has sold its 30 acres of vineyards in the Sonoma Valley to an undisclosed local buyer.

Owner John MacLeod said the deal closed Nov. 2 and the new property owner has local ties.

The family’s Indian Springs Ranch vineyard produces zinfandel, sauvignon blanc and merlot from its Valley of the Moon location. The property has been in the McLeod family for more than 40 years.

The business, founded by George McLeod who died in 2018, will retain its McLeod Family Vineyards wine brand for its club members.

McLeod said his family was “slowing down” its operations to take care of only its longtime wine club members.

Mendocino County grape harvest sustain minor smoke damage

The 2020 wine grape crop in Mendocino County should be about 30% less than previous years, according to a trade group that represents local growers.

Mendocino WineGrowers said the county’s harvest wasn’t affected by wildfire smoke as much as in Sonoma and Napa counties. The group said smoke damage will reduce the value of this year’s crop by 10% to 30% compared to the historical average. The 2019 crop was valued at $113 million.

“Previous concerns about the smoke from fires has proven less significant than imagined as (our members) have the experience and knowledge on how to manage smoke exposure,” Bernadette Byrne, the trade group’s executive director, said in a statement.

Solano County wine region expanded

A federal agency has granted the expansion of the Clarksburg American Viticultural Area located in the burgeoning wine region of Solano County.

The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau recently added 27,945 acres to the 64,640-acre wine region in Solano, Yolo and Sacramento counties. The area is primarily at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the San Joaquin River.

The expansion came at the behest of local grape growers and winemakers.

Compiled by Bill Swindell. Submit items to bill.swindell@pressdemocrat.com.