EXCLUSIVE: Gavin Newsom's PlumpJack Winery Is Shutting Down This Weekend Due to "Logistical" Issues

By Jennifer Van Laar | 3:41 PM on July 03, 2020

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AP featured image — This Monday, Oct. 22, 2018 photo shows the Plumpjack Wine & Spirits store, in San Francisco, part of the Plumpjack Group collection of wineries, bars, restaurants, hotels and liquors stores. Plumpjack was co-founded and is still partially owned by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, the favorite in the California’s governor’s race. Newsom is adamant he won’t sell his interests but otherwise is deferring decisions about how to handle potential conflicts until after the election. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

On Thursday we reported that while wineries in 19 California counties were suddenly ordered to close for three weeks beginning July 1, the four Napa County wineries owned by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s PlumpJack Group were not affected by this shutdown order – giving his company an unfair advantage over others on a busy holiday weekend.

Today PlumpJack Winery representatives are calling people who had tasting room reservations for the 4th of July weekend to inform them that “due to logistical issues” they’ll be closed through Monday. RedState has obtained a voicemail delivered to one potential customer. The representative said:

“I am just calling to let you know that I see your reservation for this coming Monday, July 6, for PlumpJack Winery. I am calling to let you know that we – due to logistical issues we will actually be closed this coming weekend into Monday, and I will be canceling your reservation.
We are happy to transfer you to Odette Estate Winery if you would like a reservation at that time, at 12:00, but for now I will be canceling the reservation. So if you would like to transfer it to Odette Estate Winery at 12:00 PM for two people on Monday, July 6, please let me know….”

So apparently while PlumpJack, the flagship winery, will be closed, at least one other Newsom-owned property will be open – at least for now.

PlumpJack made some changes to its website after Thursday’s story and no longer allows people to book a tasting online. Here is what the “visit” page looked like Thursday:

Screenshot, PlumpJackWinery.com, 7/2/2020

At that time, visitors could make reservations online and the page noted that the first available tasting appointment was July 6.

Friday morning, the page no longer contained the scheduling plugin:

Screenshot, PlumpJackWinery.com, 7/3/2020

What happened? Perhaps Newsom or his business partners realized that while it wasn’t just their Napa County winery that was open, that it sure wouldn’t appear that “we’re all in this together” and sacrificing to “meet this moment” if they were raking in the cash over a holiday weekend – a holiday Newsom’s orders have effectively canceled in the state – while other business owners were on the edge of losing everything.

Will they close the other three wineries, though, or is closing one a big enough sacrifice?

Listen to the voicemail here: