{"id":454715,"date":"2026-09-05T17:58:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T17:58:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/454715\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T17:58:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T17:58:11","slug":"sonoma-county-winery-ditches-grapes-for-sunflowers-in-latest-blow-to-troubled-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/454715\/","title":{"rendered":"Sonoma County winery ditches grapes for sunflowers in latest blow to troubled industry"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Sonoma County winery yanked its iconic grapevines and replaced them with thousands of sunflowers, as the state\u2019s multibillion-dollar wine industry is heading down the drain. <\/a><\/p>\n

The family-owned winery Chateau Diana<\/a> in Healdsburg, removed 1.25 acres of Zinfandel grapes and replaced them with 3,000 sunflowers to draw visitors.<\/p>\n

Chateau Diana co-owner Corey Manning. linkedin\/corey-manning<\/p>\n

Fields of sunflowers. Instagram\/chateaudianawinery<\/p>\n

Three thousand sunflowers were planted by Manning. Instagram\/chateaudianawinery<\/p>\n

Vineyard co-owner Corey Manning, who inherited his love of flowers from his mom, didn\u2019t want customers coming to the winery and seeing another empty field \u2014 a sight that has become all too common across California Wine Country.<\/p>\n

\u201cI figured I would just try it out and see if they liked it. I\u2019ve been shocked to see how excited people are to drink wine among the sunflowers,\u201d Manning told The Press Democrat.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife, Emily, loves sunflowers, so we began planting all different kinds in 2022 and saving the seeds. Each year, we\u2019d grow more and more, so the field got bigger and bigger,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

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Chateau Diana is located in Healdsburg, Sonoma County. Google<\/p>\n

A Wine & Food Affair is the premier event for Wine Road in Northern Sonoma County. Media5Nine<\/p>\n

For Manning, replacing the empty land with sunflowers was also a smart business decision that allowed him to create an \u201cInstagrammable\u201d experience where visitors can sip wine in a pretty setting. <\/p>\n

Instead of solely selling wine, Manning wanted the traditional wine tasting culture that was becoming less popular with younger people feel like a fun, unique experience. <\/p>\n

Since 2008, he has also grown about 10,000 pounds of fresh produce annually for Farm to Pantry<\/a>, a local nonprofit that feeds families in need.<\/p>\n

Wine sold at Chateau Diana. Instagram\/chateaudianawinery<\/p>\n

Wine fish bowls are pictured at Chateau Diana Winery. Instagram\/chateaudianawinery<\/p>\n

Chateau Diana was founded by Manning\u2019s parents in 1981, and its decision to remove 1.25 acres of Zinfandel comes as 2,711 acres of vines were removed in the county between October 2024 and August 2025, according to a report. <\/a><\/p>\n

In total, 38,134 acres were removed across California over the 10-month stretch.<\/p>\n

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