Under the Hood: As Wineries Close, Napa’s License Count Surges
By Tim Carl
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The Spotlight
Welcome to “Under the Hood,” our exclusive Saturday series for Napa Valley Features paid subscribers. This week we explore the sharp rise in winery licenses across Napa County — and why that growth may be more about branding than barrels.
Additionally, we’re diving into the latest data from our readers’ polls and providing insights from our economic dashboard, covering local Napa Valley, U.S. and global markets.
In addition, we feature "What We Are Reading," a section with a handpicked list of recent articles that provides a variety of viewpoints on issues important to our community and beyond.
“What We Are Reading” quotes of the day:
"Robert Mondavi Winery is now just another wine brand, indistinguishable from dozens of others on the supermarket shelf." – from W. Blake Gray, in "Robert Mondavi Wine's Long, Slow Decline," Wine-Searcher.
“Elaine believed deeply in taking care of our neighbors in need. She dedicated her time, energy, and resources to strengthening the nonprofits that serve our most vulnerable residents.” – from Rick Jones, in "Napa Valley Community Foundation Launches the Elaine Jones Safety Net Fund to Preserve and Strengthen Essential Nonprofit Services," Napa Valley Community Foundation.
“His dedication to the community is evident through initiatives like the Farmworker Concierge Service, which assists Renteria’s employees with legal needs, educational services, and pathways to citizenship, showcasing his commitment to both personal and professional growth.” – from Caleb Mosley, in "Napa Valley Grapegrowers 2025 Grower of the Year," Napa Valley Grapegrowers.
“Powell’s termination cannot come fast enough.” – from Donald Trump, in "Gold surges to a record above $3,400 as Trump threatens Fed independence," CNBC.
“The Trump Administration’s cut to critical fire prevention grants to our district is penny-wise and pound-foolish.” – from Mike Thompson, in "Thompson, Moulton Lead Letter to FEMA, Urging Agency to Restore the BRIC Grant Program," Office of Rep. Mike Thompson.
“The rumors feel credible because this is the playbook they use [targeting perceived political enemies across sectors]. That’s why people are taking it very seriously.” – from an anonymous environmental funder, in "A Chill Falls on the Climate Community," The Crucial Years by Bill McKibben.
“Huawei's Ascend 910C GPU will now become the hardware of choice for (Chinese) AI model developers and for deploying inference capacity.” – from Paul Triolo, in "Exclusive: Huawei readies new AI chip for mass shipment as China seeks Nvidia alternatives, sources say," Reuters.
“This Earth Day, we stand united in defiance of their greed and fight for a future that prioritizes people and the planet over profits.” – from Aru Shiney-Ajay, in "Wave of Earth Day protests as Americans mobilize against Trump," The Guardian.
As Wineries Close, Napa’s License Count Surges
By Tim Carl
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — In California, anyone who wants to make and sell wine independently must first secure a Type 02 license from the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. This license authorizes the holder to produce, bottle and sell wine — whether through a traditional estate winery or via a virtual model.
Last October something strange showed up in the data. For a brief moment, the number of active Type 02 winery licenses in Napa County dropped sharply. More than 40 vanished from public listings in a single week. Nearly 200 disappeared statewide.
It wasn’t a collapse. It was a lag. According to the ABC, the drop was caused by licensees missing a June 30 renewal deadline. After a 90-day grace period, licenses that hadn’t been renewed were automatically moved from “Pending Revoked” to “Revoked.” Most of those were not abandoned operations — many were still selling wine, operating tasting rooms or preparing for harvest. They had simply missed the deadline or were waiting for their renewal to clear the system. (Note: Because the ABC does not maintain historical weekly data, it’s unclear whether similar drops occurred in prior years. Napa Valley Features began weekly tracking on Feb. 1, 2024, allowing future trend comparisons.)
What came next is harder to explain.
Napa didn’t just recover. It accelerated.