Good news and bad for this year's wine-grape crop

Wine-grape growers in the Temecula Valley and across the state are reporting an excellent quality harvest, with some of the highest-quality grapes in recent memory.

Now if only someone would buy them.

The 2009 harvest is under way in Wine Country, but some growers say they will have to leave good grapes on the vine this year because of low demand.

While many of the Temecula wineries grow grapes for their own use, those that farm with the intention to sell to wineries will be feeling the pinch.

"If your grapes aren't under contract, you've got some disgruntled growers right now," said Karen Ross, president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers.

Because wineries have leftover inventory from last year, when the economy tanked and demand in restaurants and tasting rooms shriveled, they aren't buying as many grapes this year, said Bill Wilson, of Wilson Creek Winery, president of the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association.

Wilson said he'll be using only the grapes he grows, and foregoing the typical 50 to 100 tons he usually buys from other growers.

Ben Drake, who farms about 350 acres near Temecula, said some of his grapes are going to stay unpicked this year.

Drake Enterprises sells 32 varieties to about 40 clients. But some of the grapes that aren't under contract probably won't be sold, he said.

Wine varieties that should be aged a year or more, like many red wines, will be particularly tough to unload, Drake said. Wineries are hesitant to spend thousands of dollars on an investment with a slower return.

"There's going to be a lot of cabernet left on the vines this year in the valley," Drake said.

Statewide, California wine growers are expected to harvest about 3.3 million tons of fruit this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That would outpace the previous three years' crops, though it would fall short of 2005's record crop of 3.76 million tons.

Growers said they were pleasantly surprised by the quality of grapes this year. Relatively few prolonged streaks of hot weather made for a good growing year, they said.

"I think the '09 vintage will be something we're going to be talking about for years to come," Wilson said.

While it's going to be tough for some growers, the downturn is "not a disaster" for wineries, he said.

A surplus can give newer wineries the chance to stockpile wines that ought to have a longer maturation period, he said.

That could give newer Temecula-area wineries a chance to continue their efforts to compete with wineries in more traditional areas such Napa Valley, Wilson said.