By Melissa Chavez

Paso Robles wineries that make wine with grapes grown by other producers will soon be allowed to sell those products and offer tastings at certified farmers markets.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 917 on Thursday, Aug. 27. The law, authored by state Sen. John Laird, whose district includes most of San Luis Obispo County, will take effect Jan. 1, 2027.

Existing law restricts farmers market sales to wine made entirely from grapes or other agricultural products grown by the winery. SB 917 removes that requirement, although participating wineries must continue to bottle the wine themselves and obtain a certified farmers market sales permit from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

Why the law could matter in Paso Robles

The change could be especially relevant in the Paso Robles American Viticultural Area (AVA), a federally recognized wine-grape-growing region with 11 districts, where many wineries obtain grapes from independent growers and multiple vineyard sites.

The Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance describes the region’s diversity as one of its strengths, citing differences in terrain, local climate and soils, along with more than 60 wine-grape varieties.

Winemakers can draw on that diversity by obtaining different varieties — or the same variety grown at different vineyards — to produce individual wines and blends. The alliance has said that combining grapes with different fruit characteristics, acidity and tannins gives winemakers flexibility to craft the wines they want.

Rhône-style wines, for example, may combine grenache, syrah and mourvèdre. The alliance says Paso Robles helped popularize that blend, commonly called a GSM, in the United States.

Sourcing grapes is not limited to small producers. In a 2024 industry profile, the alliance said McPrice Myers Wines began with a ton of syrah obtained from Larner Vineyard in Santa Barbara County. It described that relationship as the winery’s longest-standing sourced-fruit contract.

State data do not show what percentage of individual wineries use at least some purchased grapes. However, the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s 2025 grape-crush report recorded approximately 1.96 million tons of purchased wine grapes statewide.

The new sales opportunity comes as Paso Robles wineries report weaker tasting-room activity.

Tasting-room sales declined 6.2% through November 2025, while new wine-club signups fell 13.5%, according to a Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance recap of community benchmark reports. Wine clubs generated about three-quarters of wineries’ direct-to-consumer revenue.

A separate study commissioned by the alliance estimated that the Paso Robles wine industry and related tourism generated $2.8 billion in economic activity statewide and supported approximately 8,900 jobs in the Paso Robles AVA region.

“California’s wineries are hurting, and SB 917 delivers real relief,” Laird said in a news release announcing the bill’s signing.

The measure was sponsored by Family Winemakers of California and the California Association of Winegrape Growers.

Rules for wine tastings at farmers markets

In addition to allowing wineries to sell wine made from purchased grapes, SB 917 increases from one to three the number of wineries that may conduct instructional tastings during the operating hours of a certified farmers market.

The tasting area must be separated from the rest of the market by a wall, rope, fence or another barrier. Customers may not leave the designated area with an open container, and wineries may pour no more than 3 ounces of wine per person per day.

The new law also subjects instructional tastings to California’s Responsible Beverage Service training requirements. According to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the program is intended to reduce alcohol-related harm by educating servers about the dangers of serving minors and over-serving patrons.

The department must notify the local government and applicable law enforcement agency when it issues a permit. Each winery may sell no more than 5,000 gallons of wine annually through all of its certified farmers market permits.

The law does not require farmers markets to allow wine sales or tastings. Tastings remain subject to the authorization and managerial control of the market operator.

Published in The Tribune.