Wine industry vineyard acreage rises in California

The amount of land devoted to producing grapes for California’s wine industry rose 0.8 percent last year to 615,000 acres, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Tuesday.

Vineyard acreage in active production was unchanged at 565,000 acres, while non-bearing vineyards rose 11.1 percent to 50,000 acres, the department estimated.

Growers removed 27,000 acres of vineyards that produce crops for wine, raisins and table grapes, though a significant amount was harvested in 2014 before they were pulled out. Some Central Valley growers have pulled their grapevines because it is economically unfeasible given the low prices they fetch, forcing them to look for alternative crops.

The largest white varietal in 2014 was chardonnay at 97,826 acres, roughly the same as 2013, and the top red varietal was cabernet sauvignon at 87,972 acres, up 2 percent from 2013.

The department will release a more detailed report on Thursday, which will include breakdowns by county, a spokeswoman said.