California’s winegrape growers look to the future following the 2009 Grape Crush Report
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California winegrape growers knew 2009 was a good year for quantity and quality of grapes, but they didn’t expect this. According to the preliminary 2009 Grape Crush Report, grapes crushed for wine totaled 3,697 million tons, up from 3,015 million tons in the 2008 harvest. Red wine varieties accounted for the largest share of all grapes crushed, at 2,073 tons, up 24 percent from 2008. The 2009 white wine variety crush totaled 1,623 tons, up 21 percent from 2008. The 2009 average price of all varieties was $570.64, up 4 percent from 2008.
“The preliminary 2009 Grape Crush Report didn’t take me by surprise. We knew it was going to be a large number,”
said Kim Ledbetter Bronson, chairwoman of the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG).
“The large crop can be attributed to a mild growing season and the fact that many vines had a strong rebound from the 2008 frost.”
The annual Crush Report helps growers, vintners and allied businesses analyze trends in the wine industry.
“Every grape grower should look at the report as it pertains to their region and the varietals they are growing and analyze the numbers for themselves,”
said Ledbetter Bronson.
“The report represents thousands of transactions from all over the state. Reviewing the report allows growers to make sound future business decisions.”
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) collects information from wineries about the tonnage crushed, purchase prices and sugar content, all broken down by varieties and districts for the report.
“In recent years the Grape Crush Report has become even more important to growers because most grape contracts are tied to its results,”
said Ledbetter Bronson.
“Next year’s grape prices will be based on the final numbers from the previous year.”
While the results for the report are important to both grape growers and buyers, it’s not the only thing used to determine prices.
“It is important to remember the crush report is just one tool growers and vintners can use to make future planning decisions,”
said Nat DiBuduo, President and CEO of Allied Grape Growers and CAWG board member.
“It’s not the ultimate resource because both the economy and consumer buying habits are factors that determine demand.”
The preliminary Grape Crush Report includes all grape tonnage crushed during the 2009 season. It also includes purchased tonnage and pricing information for grapes with final prices prior to January 10, 2010. The final Grape Crush Report, which will be released on March 10, 2003, will include additional purchased tonnage, prices and corrections.
2009 Growing Season Growers’ Perspective
This year’s Grape Crush Report is indicative of the varying growing conditions across the state. Here are a few quotes from grape growers throughout California regarding the 2009 growing season and harvest.
Tony Domingos, Tony Domingos Farming, Paso Robles
“2009 was set up to be an excellent growing year, virtually no spring frosts and mild spring and summer temperatures. I would characterize it to be a very good growing season, up to the point of an extended heat spell which caused maturities to race and the crop size to decrease due to shriveling. Those who picked at or near the heat spell had good brix levels. Those who didn’t suffered delayed harvests and less than optimal brix levels due to large early rains. Overall flavors were good, with lower than average alcohol levels and very little vegetative characteristics in the wine.”
Brad Goehring, Goehring Vineyards, Inc., Clements
“Harvest in Lodi started a bit late this year with Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. However as the season progressed, the mid to late varieties did catch up. Yields of most varieties were at normal levels. We experienced the usual thirty to forty degree diurnal fluctuations in temperature during harvest, which is allowing the 2009 vintage to stand out in terms of wine quality and color.”
JD Harkey, Drake Enterprises, Temecula
“Crop yields in Temecula were average to above average for all varieties in 2009. We experienced a very moderate growing season with little mildew pressure and some extreme heat incidences that didn’t create too much of a problem. Our normal heat wave prior and during the first phase of harvest definitely sped things up to present a very challenging couple weeks, but a break in the heat gave us a chance to settle down and catch up. The sudden heat affected quality somewhat, but I’ve heard some winemakers talk about some of the best Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc ever, which were two varieties affected by the heat. Grape sales were tough, especially Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, but all other varieties were in demand and sold at average prices.”
Steve Heringer, Heringer-Holland Land and Farming, Clarksburg
“Yields were above average on many varieties in the Clarksburg area, and growers scrambled to get the last of their grapes off the vine immediately before and shortly after the big October rains. No losses resulted from the rains, only from the massive imports of foreign wines into the California markets. Think Global but Drink Local”
Ryan Metzler, Fruita del Sol, Fresno
“Overall, production and quality seemed to be down the middle of the road in the Central Valley. There were some folks who had larger than normal tonnage while others dealt with smaller production numbers. There was a snap frost in the spring, but it did not seem to affect the crop in any substantial way. The recent introduction of imported bulk wine which has displaced California grown varietals, continues to be a concern and focus for Valley growers.”
Nicholas Miller, Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Barbara
“In both Santa Maria and Paso Robles this year, we saw things going along pretty smoothly up until an atypical heat spike. At that point our phones started ringing heavily with customers looking to pick. However, the heat spike was brief and didn’t seem to have any noticeable affects. We were very fortunate to get all of our fruit off prior to a late season rain. Overall the wineries have been very happy with the quality of 2009 fruit. They are just hoping there will be a better market to sell that wine into.”
Neil Roberts, Roberts Vineyard Services, Templeton
“2009 was a good year as far as quality. The yields were average to below average on the red varietals such as Cabernet and Merlot. White varietals such as Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay were average to above average. The late rain in October made the end of harvest a little challenging, but we were able to get the crop harvested while maintaining quality.”
Mike Sangiacomo, Sangiacomo Vineyards, Sonoma
Wine quality in Sonoma County looks to be good. Until the very end when we had some significant rain, the harvest weather was excellent. At the time of the rain, 95% of the whites and early reds were already in. Preliminary wine samples point to a very good year with above average yields in some varieties.
Heidi Scheid, Scheid Vineyards, Monterey
“The spring and summer months of 2009 were fairly mild in the Salinas Valley and provided great growing conditions through September. A strong storm hit the area on October 13, dumping several inches of rain, followed by humidity. Quality was excellent across the board and, even though conditions after the rains were ideal for rot, the fruit held up very well. One thing that may have played into this is that it was a very high phenolic year, with great color from high levels of anthocyanins and strong tannins, which may have helped protect the fruit.”
JR Shannon, CRS Ranch, Visalia
“The harvest in Tulare County was an average crop with great demand even with the struggling economy. The Central Valley’s biggest factor in continuing to get good yields is water.”
David Weiss, Bella Vista Farming Co., Kelseyville
In Lake County, going into harvest we saw superb fruit quality in all varieties, with crop yields being average to slightly above average. But in the end, 2009 produced the “Tale of Two Vintages” – one before the October rains and the other after. Virtually everything picked from before those rains made for one of the best vintages in recent memory, with great flavors and uniform ripeness that reflected the mostly mild growing season across the region. But the orderly smooth harvest became rather frantic with the approaching rains. Most mountain fruit was relatively unaffected and was harvested with good results.
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