By Victor Martino
The 2019 winegrape harvest began in some regions like Sonoma County on August 16 and is in full swing statewide this month.
September marks the official start of the harvest season for the wine industry in California, where winegrape-growing and wine production is very big business indeed.
California is the nation’s number 1 wine state and the source of a whopping 81 percent of U.S. wine production. It’s also the fourth-largest wine producer in the world, behind Italy, France and Spain.
The state’s wine industry, from vineyard to retail store shelf, makes a significant contribution to the nation and all fifty states by providing quality jobs, bolstering economies through tourism and taxes and enhancing communities through environmental stewardship and charitable giving.
For example, according to data from the Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers, 786,000 Americans are employed in jobs nationwide thanks to California wine, and the industry pays $15.2 billion in local, state and federal business, excise and personal taxes.
Here at home the wine industry employs 325,000 Californians and generates $56 billion in economic activity, along with contributing $3.1 billion in taxes annually to the state.
Additionally, the winegrape growing and allied wine industry pays $17.2 billion in wages annually and attracts more than 23 million tourists each year to wineries in California.
Nearly 6,000 winegrape growers produce more than 110 varieties in California’s 138 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs). Wine Grapes are grown on 608,000 acres in 49 of 58 counties, according to the California Association of Winegrape Growers, which represents and advocates for the state’s winegrape growers.
The 2018 California winegrape harvest was a good one despite a number of challenges — including deadly wildfires in some growing regions and the constant challenge of having sufficient water for irrigation — and the wine industry put the winegrape bounty produced by growers to good use.
California wine shipments in the U.S. reached an estimated retail value of $40.2 billion in 2018, up 3% from the previous year, according to the Wine Institute, and the state shipped 248 million nine-liter cases of wine throughout the U.S. in 2018, up 3% from 2017.
Sales of California wine have increased annually for the last decade, according to the Gomberg-Fredrikson Report, which is the leading source for wine industry data in California.
“California wine shipments experienced a 15% volume growth in the U.S. over the last decade, and increased 6 million cases in 2018 over the previous year,” according to Jon Moramarco, founder and managing partner of BW 166 LLC, and editor of the Gomberg-Fredrikson Report.
Winegrape growers and vintners say they’re geared up and ready for this year’s harvest.
Cameron Perry, director of winegrowing for Groth Vineyards and Winery in Oakville in Napa County, says he and his team start planning for the next year’s harvest immediately after the current one ends.
“Shortly after we finish, the winemaking team gets together and has a debrief,” he says. “We talk about what worked, what didn’t and what we need to fix. Then we get it down on paper while it’s fresh,” Perry says.
In June and July, harvest preparations begin ramping up. Parry says he and his team check and repair winery and vineyard equipment as necessary and start ordering supplies such as yeast and nutrients. The vineyard team then starts pulling unwanted shoots that can potentially produce a second crop of inferior fruit—and removing extra vine leaves to ensure the appropriate amount of light is hitting the grape clusters. “When the reds begin the onset of ripeness and the grapes change color during veraison, there’s more work to do,” he says.
“We’ll make a crop-thinning pass to eliminate undesirable fruit once we’re at about 50 percent veraison. We’ll drop any clusters behind in maturity, just to ensure good uniformity and homogeneity,” Perry says.
According to Perry, a month from the start of harvest, the Groth team spends lots of time walking the vineyard rows and tasting in order to determine the optimal picking dates. “Closer to harvest, we’ll start taking bigger fruit samples for analysis of sugar, pH and acidity levels,” he says.
Days before harvest, Perry says his team makes a last sampling and decides the picking schedule.
“Because harvest is done at night, when it can be difficult for the crew to see the clusters, the vineyard team goes through a few days in advance and strips the extra leaves from the fruiting zone, removing any clusters that are damaged, sunburned, raisined or moldy,” he says.
Mark Houser, vineyard manager for Alexander Valley Vineyards in Sonoma County, says the most intense harvest preparations and planning st Alexander Valley Vineyards begins around late July.
“We’re going through and taking a few leaves off, removing ugly fruit, looking for mildew.”
The vineyard team also estimates the size of the crop to help determine the amount of tank and barrel space needed for the harvested fruit, according to Hauser.
“Along with historical data, the calculation is based on the average number of clusters per vine, average weight per cluster, number of vines per acre and the total number of acres,” he says.
Other pre-harvest preparation includes getting the equipment ready, from reserving rental trucks and trailers to cleaning grape bins.
“There’s always something that needs attention,” Houser says, “so you start early to make sure it’s going to work.”
According to Hauser, a typical harvest for Alexander Valley Vineyards begins just after Labor Day with Chardonnay or Pinot Noir grapes.
“This year’s timing appears to be right on target—barring any last-minute weather changes,” he says.
This year’s winegrape harvest is predicted to be as good or better than last year’s harvest. Weather conditions have been favorable, which gives many hope the 2019 harvest will be near-perfect.
The California wine industry has designated the month of September as California Wine Month to celebrate the harvest season. Throughout California, wineries, regional wine associations and other organizations will host special tastings, concerts, food and wine festivals, immersive harvest experiences featuring growers, grape stomps and more.
California Wine Month celebrates the state’s storied winegrape-growing and winemaking history, dating back more than 250 years, and recognizes the innovative spirit of California vintners and growers.
It’s an amazing history too. Today California is home to 5,900 grapegrowers and about 3,700 wineries. The California wine industry from the vineyards to the retail store shelf is a harvest of ingenuity, hard work and phenomenal success. It’s well worth celebrating.
By Victor Martino
