The U.S. wine industry faced declining demand, changing consumer attitudes toward wine, and excess inventory since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, which contributed to a prolonged downturn in winery revenue, according to Silicon Valley Bank’s State of the U.S. Wine Industry Report.
The multiple business challenges led to significant economic issues and a 21% decline in industry revenue from 2020 through 2025, the Silicon Valley Bank’s State of the U.S. Wine Industry Report said.
Economic challenges since the pandemic have led wineries, such as historic Gundlach Bundschu Winery, to seek bankruptcy protection to reorganize their businesses.
Gundlach Bundschu restructures finances
The 168-year-old Gundlach Bundschu Winery, the oldest continuously family-owned winery in California, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sept. 23 to restructure its finances, looking forward to financial assistance from a new investor, according to a company statement emailed to TheStreet.
Before filing for Chapter 11, the family and its advisors successfully solicited multiple acquisition proposals, the statement said.
“This is about creating a fair, court-supervised process that gives this historic business an opportunity to survive, preserve jobs, protect relationships with customers and vendors, and ensure the winery remains a meaningful part of the Sonoma Valley community,” co-owner Jeff Bundschu said in the statement.
The company did not name the potential investors or the investment amount in its statement.
The Sonoma, Calif.-based debtor, known as Vineburg LLC on its documents, filed for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California in Santa Rosa, listing $10 million to $50 million in assets and debts in its petition, according to Bankruptcy Observer.
Economic issues force bankruptcy filing
Gundlach Bundschu’s owners said the effects of the post-pandemic economy and an unsustainable debt burden created financial pressures the winery could no longer address outside a court-supervised restructuring, according to the statement.
“For six generations, our family believed that Gundlach Bundschu is more than a winery. It is a core part of Sonoma Valley,” said Jeff Bundschu, a sixth-generation family member who operates the company with his sister Katie Bundschu.
“We are fighting for Sonoma Valley as a destination for generations of loyal Gundlach Bundschu customers,” Jeff Bundschu said.
Gundlach Bundschu filed its petition to provide the company with the time and structure needed to stabilize its business, continue operations, and secure a potential new family and community-oriented partnership.
The Bundschus believe a new partnership will strengthen the winery’s platform for building community, tourism, and economic growth throughout the North Coast, the statement said.
Company seeks significant investor
The company said it expects to develop a different ownership structure, backed by significant capital to preserve the winery as an operating business and maintain its historic connection to Sonoma Valley.
The Bundschu family’s connection to its winery property dates back to 1858, when the family purchased the land from the son-in-law of Spanish General Mariano Vallejo. Decades before Sonoma Valley became internationally known for wine, the Gundlach Bundschu family was farming the land and growing grapes.
The company’s financial challenges worsened after it purchased another historic wine company, Madrone Winery in Glen Ellen, Calif., in February 2020, and moved its Abbot’s Passage winery to the property just as the Covid-19 pandemic was beginning.
Before the sale closed on Feb. 26, 2026, the family thought the acquisition would create a stronger platform, but the wine market instead experienced a downturn with changing consumer behavior, declining demand, distributor consolidation, excess inventory, and reduced demand for contract production and grapes, the statement said.
Family closed Abbot’s Passage
The industry headwinds forced the Bundschu family to close Abbot’s Passage on June 28, 2026, after operating for about 10 years, as it could no longer survive the decline of visitors to the Sonoma Valley wine country and other industry challenges, owner Katie Bundschu told the San Francisco Chronicle at the time.
The family committed substantial personal assets to support the Gundlach Bundschu business and meet its obligations and over the last 36 months, as it reduced expenses by over 40% but remained highly leveraged. The company rejected financing offers from lenders because they were too expensive.
Gundlach Bundschu will continue operating during the Chapter 11 reorganization, welcoming guests, hosting special events, serving wine club members, and working with employees, growers, vendors, and partners, the statement said.
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