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February 11, 2026 (Sacramento, CA) \u2014 The California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) is advancing a coordinated slate of sponsored legislation for the 2026 California Legislative Session, signaling a unified grower effort to strengthen local winegrowing, support family farmers, and reinforce consumer trust.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrowers are under real pressure, but they\u2019re not sitting on the sidelines,\u201d said Natalie Collins, president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers. \u201cThis legislative package reflects growers taking responsibility for the issues within our control, expanding opportunities for Californians to buy and experience local wine, addressing rising cost pressures, and ensuring wine labels reflect what\u2019s actually in the bottle. Our message is straightforward: In California, we grow wine, and our growers are proud of the wine we grow.\u201d<\/p>\n
CAWG-sponsored legislation for 2026 is listed below:<\/p>\n
AB 1585\u00a0(Connolly, D-San Rafael and Ransom, D-Tracy), co-sponsored by CAWG & Family Winemakers of CA, this bill would require that wine labeled as \u201cAmerican\u201d be made from 100 percent American-grown winegrapes, aligning the designation with California\u2019s long-standing 100 percent requirement for wines labeled as \u201cCalifornia.\u201d\u00a0AB 1585 builds on long-established truth-in-labeling precedent in California law and ensures that wine labels accurately reflect grape origin, giving consumers confidence in the products they purchase.<\/p>\n
SB 921\u00a0(Grove, R-Bakersfield & Hurtado, D-Bakersfield) would create a tax credit for agricultural employers to fully offset the costs of overtime wages paid by agricultural employers. This bipartisan legislation, co-sponsored by CAWG and California Farm Bureau, aims to ensure farmworkers have access to overtime pay while providing critical relief to agricultural operations facing rising labor costs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
SB 917\u00a0(Laird, D-Santa Cruz), co-sponsored by CAWG and Family Winemakers of California, this bill would expand opportunities for small, non-estate wineries that purchase local grapes to sell wine and offer tastings at certified farmers\u2019 markets, strengthening direct-to-consumer connections and supporting local supply chains.<\/p>\n
These bills are expected to be heard in their first policy committees in late March or early April.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Growers Called to Engage<\/p>\n
Legislative progress depends on participation. CAWG invites winegrape growers and industry stakeholders to join its 2026 Advocacy Day on March 25 in Sacramento, to meet directly with legislators and staff to share their perspectives and reinforce a unified grower voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cPolicy doesn\u2019t move on paper alone,\u201d Collins added. \u201cIt moves when growers show up. Advocacy Day is an opportunity to be part of the solution and help shape the future of this industry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Register:\u00a0CAWG 2026 Advocacy Day & Legislative Reception<\/a><\/p>\n About California Association of Winegrape Growers
About the California Association of Winegrape Growers: CAWG is a statewide nonprofit trade association advocating for California\u2019s winegrape growers to ensure the sustainability of the winegrape industry. CAWG promotes the industry\u2019s long-term success by advancing the adoption of sound public policies and fostering awareness and understanding of winegrape growers\u2019 contributions to the economy, environment, and California communities. Learn more at\u00a0cawg.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"February 11, 2026 (Sacramento, CA) \u2014 The California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) is advancing a coordinated slate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":174114,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[3095,121,123,122],"class_list":{"0":"post-174113","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sacramento","8":"tag-california-association-of-winegrape-growers","9":"tag-sacramento","10":"tag-sacramento-headlines","11":"tag-sacramento-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174113"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174113\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}