Zaca Mesa Winery in Santa Barbara County...

Zaca Mesa Winery in Santa Barbara County joined forces with Napa’s Raymond Vineyards to market their wines directly in the face of consolidations in the wine-distribution business. The two have prospered in the current boom in premium wines, but many smaller wineries are finding it harder to market their wines. “While the number of California wineries has more than doubled over the last 10 years, the number of independent distributors has decreased by almost half,” reports the investment firm of Hambrecht & Quist. California now has 726 wineries and 15 distributors, compared to 240 wineries and 26 distributors in 1976.