California wine label shuts down tasting room, sells off inventory after 20-year run: ‘Pulled the trigger’

Yet another California winery has been squeezed out of an increasingly tough market.

Passagio Wines in Sonoma County will be closing its wine tasting room and selling off the remainder of its inventory. The winemaker has ceased production and will be shutting down operations by the end of the month.

The long-running staple in the charming village of Glen Ellen is closing after experiencing a steady decline in sales, owner Cindy Cosco told The Press Democrat.

“I just decided that I couldn’t,” Cosco, 65, told the outlet. “I don’t think I could get through the winter months. So I just pulled the trigger and decided to close. And it’s been 20 years — I think I’ve had a pretty good run.”

Cosco first launched the Passagio Wines label in 2007 with 50 cases of Unoaked Chardonnay, the label’s flagship wine. The first tasting room opened back in 2014, elsewhere in the region — eventually moving to Glen Ellen in 2022.

Passagio’s closure is part of a wave of other businesses shuttering in struggling Sonoma, such as wine bar Oso Sonoma restaurant and its adjacent Parkside wine bar, which closed in September after 12 years.

Other wine businesses across California’s world-famous grape-growing regions are also struggling as sales continue to decline.

Gundlach Bundschu Winery, California’s oldest continuous family-owned winery, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month.

According to Silicon Valley Bank’s 2026 wine industry report, about half of California wineries are currently operating without a profit. In 2025, the industry lost $1.2 billion in revenue compared to 2024.

“It’s a shame because it’s what we need now,” Cosco said of the slump. “And you’re seeing all these small places close up. It hurts my heart because it’s what it’s supposed to be about: community.”

Now, the 65-year-old told The Press Democrat that she is thinking about stepping away from the wine business altogether.

“I don’t even have a hobby,” Cosco said. “I’ve been doing this for so long. You get engrossed in the wine industry, and people in it will understand … I’d like to be able to go out and do some different things.”

Cosco announced the closing of Passagio in a social media post last week. The winemaker held a farewell party on Friday, October 9 to bid adieu to the business.

“I can’t thank the community enough,” she said. “All the people that I’ve worked with held me up and pushed me forward.”

Passagio’s remaining inventory will be available to purchase online within the next few days, per their website.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters