California Grape Crush Down 7%, Prices Jump

California’s wine grape crush fell 7% in 2011 to 3.34 million tons, according to the preliminary report by the state’s department of food and agriculture. Major varietals like Chardonnay (down by 15%, or by more than 6 million cases), Cabernet Sauvignon (down 14%, or by more than 4 million cases), Merlot (-8%), Sauvignon Blanc (-23%) and Zinfandel (-13%) all dropped markedly, while Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio increased to record levels on new plantings and strong yields in the Central Valley.

Overall, California red wine grape crush was down 7% to 1.92 million tons while whites fell at the same rate, to 1.43 million tons. Prices were up strongly—red wine grapes’ average price per ton rose 12% to $702.70, and whites garnered an average of $541.11 per ton, up 8% from 2010. With global wine grape supplies also at their lowest levels in years, California grape prices could see further increases in 2012.

“Even though the crop in total was equal to the five-year average, the key fact is that it was far short of demand,” said Brian Clements, vice president of grape broker Turrentine. “Consumer sales continue to grow, and wineries would have liked to have crushed hundreds of thousands of additional tons.”

Tagged : California, wine

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