The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Small Winery Operations in California: Unveiling a Moderating Role of a Winery Cluster between Napa and Sonoma

Students: Dayana Sanchez-Ortiz, Jonathan Duran Del Villar, Lupita Esquivel, Diego Gutierrez, Edith Martinez

Faculty Mentor: Kyuho Lee

Business Administration

College of Science, Technology, and Business

This research paper provides insight into the adaptation of artificial intelligence within a winery environment. Considering the rapid growth of interest in AI, very little research has been conducted to understand how small winery operators can adopt AI for their winery operations and explore the challenges they have faced in using AI. The purpose of our research of wineries in New York, Oregon, California, and Texas was based around four issues surrounding artificial intelligence. First, we wanted to identify the perceptions and barriers of AI adoption among small winery operators. Second, we investigated the factors that determined AI adaptation among small winery operations. Third, we examined the AI technologies that small winery operators can integrate into their operations. Finally, we examined the impacts of winery clusters in adopting AI among small winery operators. With this information, we conducted in-person telephonic interviews with small wineries in New York, Oregon, California, and Texas that produce fewer than 10,000 cases per year from January to March 2025. We content-analyzed the results of our interviews with the small wineries. Based on this analysis, we identified emerging themes through the content of the interviews. The study revealed that current AI integration among small wineries is progressing slowly. However, a majority of the wineries interviewed are open to including AI in their wine operations in the future. We provided the small wineries and state policymakers with insightful suggestions regarding AI adaptation among small wineries.