California Wine Country Grape Production Falls

Napa County’s grape production fell in 2008 by more than twenty percent and was the smallest output in the last ten years and was the third consecutive declining year. Vineyards, growers, and wineries believe that the frost last year in the spring was has a greater impact than had previously been thought. Frost ruined some crops and contributed to small grapes and lightweight bunches coming off the vines. The upside is that during the difficult economy, the lighter production means that there won’t be a glut of grapes and this has contributed to keeping the prices up around Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley. In the wine country region of Sonoma County, grape production fell by fifteen percent, but also showed an increase across the board in the prices for most varietals.

Across the state of California the overall grape harvest was down but only by one percent, mostly showing in the drop of Chardonnay which lost ground by fifteen percent, but all grapes showed an increase in the prices that they commanded. Of the various appellations throughout the state of California’s various wine country sites, Napa Valley commanded the highest price on a per ton basis, with a price of almost three thousand four hundred dollars, which was a rise above last year by four percent. Sonoma Valley had the next highest price per ton of grapes at a little higher than two thousand two hundred dollars per ton – higher than last year’s price by seven percent.