Wild weather hits Sonoma County grape crop
Victor Pureco harvests the first grapes of 2008 in Sonoma County in this Aug. 1 photo, taken at Hunter Farms in Glen Ellen. The size of Sonoma County’s grape crop fell for the third year in a row, dropping 15 percent in 2008 following one of the wildest growing seasons in memory.
KENT PORTER/The Press DemocratPublished: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 at 12:18 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 at 7:35 p.m.
Sonoma County’s grape crop shrank for the third year in a row last year, off 15 percent following one of the wildest growing seasons in memory, the state reported Tuesday.
But strong demand for premium grapes helped soften the blow for many growers, driving up prices 7 percent to the highest ever recorded in Sonoma County.
The average price for Sonoma County grapes hit $2,235 per ton last year, surpassing the previous high of $2,158 set in 2001 before the last recession.
“It certainly reflects that consumers are buying Sonoma County wine and appreciate the quality and value we provide,” said Nick Frey, president of the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission.
The smaller crop was welcome news to some high-end wineries, which are struggling to move existing inventory as cash-strapped consumers look for bargains. A massive harvest could have created a glut of wine, increasing pressure on wineries to cut prices even deeper.
But growers across the North Coast saw the size of their crops — and their paychecks — tumble in 2008. The value of the North Coast grape crop fell to $859.2 million last year, a 14 percent decline. Growers in Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Lake counties harvested 356,000 tons of grapes last fall, down 19 percent from 2007.
Almost half of the region’s grape crop was produced in Sonoma County, where growers farm 61,000 acres of vineyards. The county produced 168,208 tons of premium wine grapes last year, down from 198,532 tons in 2007, according to the state’s annual Preliminary Grape Crush Report.
Last year’s dry spring, brutal frosts and hot windy weather early in the growing season all contributed to the lighter crop. Wild weather during the critical period when the vines flower, called “bloom,” caused poor fertilization, Frey said.
“We had warm, cold and wind during bloom,” Frey said. “It was just unfavorable.”
Some growers lost everything to frost last year, said Ned Hill, a grower in the Sonoma Valley. He personally managed a vineyard that produced just 40 percent of average because of frost damage.
“There were some pretty big hits last year,” Hill said.
But the lighter crop, combined with high demand for varieties like pinot noir and chardonnay, drove up grape prices in Sonoma County to a new high.
Sonoma County growers continue to command some of the highest prices in the state, second only to Napa, where grape prices rose 4 percent to $3,390 a ton.
Mendocino County saw the region’s sharpest increase in grape prices, which jumped nearly 11 percent to $1,352 a ton. In Lake County, prices inched up less than 1 percent, to $1,239.
Statewide, prices rose 6 percent to $597 a ton.
Pinot noir was the high-flier in Sonoma County, surging 12 percent to $3,156 per ton last year. The county’s largest crop, chardonnay, climbed a healthy 8 percent, to $2,015 a ton.
But rising prices could not offset a sharp drop in yields. North Coast growers saw their incomes drop by $144 million as a result of the smaller crop.
Yields tumbled 25 percent in Mendocino County, where growers harvested 45,678 tons. Grape production fell 23 percent in Lake County, to 27,916 tons, and 21 percent in Napa County, to 114,2281 tons.
The hardest-hit varietals in Sonoma County were merlot and cabernet sauvignon, whose harvests fell 38 percent and 24 percent respectively.
Some of the drop in merlot may have come from fewer acres under cultivation. Vineyard owners ripped out merlot as its popularity plunged, Frey said.
Zinfandel yields fell 17 percent in Sonoma County and chardonnay dropped 9 percent. Pinot noir yields dropped less than 1 percent and would have increased significantly if not for the weird weather, Frey said, because more farmers are planting the popular varietal.
The sole winner was sauvignon blanc, which rose 9 percent.
Statewide, total winegrape production dropped 6 percent, to 3.05 million tons. The total value of the state’s winegrape crop was about $1.8 billion, up 2 percent.
Sonoma County wasn’t the only place to see sharp drops in merlot and cabernet sauvignon. The numbers were similar statewide, and were a surprise to many, said John Ciatti, partner in the Ciatti Company, a San Rafael wine and grape brokerage.
“I was amazed at how much cabernet and merlot were off,” Ciatti said. “Cab being down that much ... that’s gonna hurt for a while.”
Cabernet sauvignon production fell 27 percent statewide, the equivalent of 85 million bottles of wine, said Brian Clements, a partner in Turrentine Brokerage, a Novato wine and grape broker. Merlot production fell 26 percent, equal to 66 million bottles, Clements said.
If the economy was strong, the light crop would have produced significant grape shortages, Clements said. But demand for higher-end wines has suffered as consumers trade down in search of bargain wines.
When the economy recovers and wine drinkers return to spending $12 to $20 on a bottle instead of $6 to $12, Clements believes the North Coast will begin seeing significant shortages of grapes.
“I think this should be a wake-up call for buyers and sellers that we need to do something to increase the grape supply in the North Coast,” he said.
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