California wine grape harvest drops 7% in 2011
By Melonie Turner, Sacramento Business Journal
California’s 2011 wine grape crush totaled 3.3 million tons, down 7 percent from 2010, according to a preliminary report by the state Department of Food and Agriculture.
Red wine varieties accounted for the biggest share of all grapes crushed, at 1.9 million tons, down 7 percent from 2010. White wine varieties totaled 1.4 million tons, also down 7 percent, according to the preliminary wine grape crush report.
“The crush report confirms what growers already know, prices have turned the corner and demand for California wine grapes looks strong,” John Aguirre, president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers, said in a news release. “Our focus is to make sure California growers are positioned to meet the higher demand and that we don’t lose market share to foreign growers.”