Local wine industry tries to bottle up success with slow economy

Some members of the local wine industry say they are keeping afloat, despite the slumping economy.

Whether you are in the mood for a glass of cabernet or a sparkling wine, the Central Coast has it all.

The Santa Barbara County Vintner's Association admits that, foot traffic to local tasting rooms is down by as much as half. At Lucas & Lewellen, the number of visitors has dropped by about five to 10 percent, but ironically, sales are actually up.

"The people that drink wine are pretty dedicated to drinking wine," said Louis Lucas.

With discounted wines, a big push in international marketing, and more personalized attention in the tasting room, they are pulling out all the stops to stay ahead.

Big weekends, like last week's Amgen Tour of California bike race and Santa Barbara County's close location to Southern California also help out.

"We're not going to step back. If anything, we're going to be more aggressive whether it be offering things on sale or putting on more functions," Lucas said.

The Vintner's Association Executive Director, Jim Fiolek, says temporary wine tasters, like large party groups, have definitely decreased. Wine enthusiasts, on the other hand, are here to stay and spend money.

"The wine tasting as entertainment has dropped off, and the people that are coming now are interested in tasting the wines and sampling the wines and finding new wineries that they haven't tried before, Fiolek said.

Santa Barbara County's wine business is a more than $900 million industry.