It’s been a spicy topic for a California wine industry approaching economic panic: the “Wine Improvement District” — or “WID” for those actively at odds in the debate. The idea sounds sensible enough: a small regional levy on direct-to-consumer sales, with the goal of raising funds for collective regional marketing. God knows wine needs every advantage it can muster given the current hand-wringing environment, but the seemingly reasonable proposition has set off heated exchanges. So why has this conversation that’s simmering across different regions of California become unexpectedly thorny?
