Beckstoffer Pulling Over 50% of North Coast Vines

Beckstoffer Vineyards plans to pull more than half its vines in Lake and Mendocino counties, California, as it plans to farm just 1,940acres, a sharp reduction from the approximately 4,000 acres it farmed at its high point.

The company said it laid off 50 of its 65 employees. Beckstoffer, of course, isn't the only grower to pull out vines. A report commissioned by the California Association of Winegrape Growers shows more than 38,000 acres of vineyards were removed between Oct. 1, 2024 and Aug. 1, 2025.

Beckstoffer said it was pulling uncontracted grapes. It said it had been spending more than it was earning. Lake and Mendocino, whrre Beckstoffer operates, aren't among the 10 California counties that removed the most fruit. Those counties are San Joaquin, Fresno, Monterey, Napa, Sonoma, San Luis Obispo, Madera, Sacramento, Santa Barbara and Yolo.

The company plans on replanting some of the acreage in the future.