Why Stockwell Cellars is closing its Westside Santa Cruz tasting room

Stockwell Cellars will close its Westside Santa Cruz tasting room Sept. 1 after a decade, as owners Eric Stockwell and Suzanne Zeber-Stockwell shift the business toward wine distribution and a smaller wine club-focused model. The move comes as the couple says the traditional tasting-room model has become less viable amid a broader downturn in wine consumption, rising costs and changes in how people spend their time and money.