Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) was named the new co-chair of the Congressional Wine Caucus March 1. The news was announced by Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA), co-chair of the Congressional Wine Caucus, a bipartisan, bicameral group of 150 Members of Congress who advocate on behalf of America’s vintners and winegrape growers.

“Congressman Hunter is an excellent choice for Wine Caucus co-chair. Because his district is home to many wineries and growers in Southern California, he knows firsthand of the important contributions of wine and he will be a terrific advocate,” said Wine Institute president and CEO Bobby Koch.

The U.S. wine industry has an estimated economic impact of $162 billion on the U.S. economy each year and creates an equivalent of 1.1 million full-time jobs.

The Congressional Wine Caucus was founded in 1999 by Congressmen and winegrape growers Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) and George Radanovich (R-Fresno) to promote and protect the interests of America’s vintners and winegrape growers.