2009 in California: More Grapes Crushed, More Wine Produced, More Trouble Ahead
The California Department of Food and Agriculture has issued its annual report on wine grape production. California wineries crushed 23% more grapes in 2009 than they did in 2008. Putting that increase in bottle terms, that’s 96 million more bottles of wine. There are roughly 74 million regular wine drinkers in the U.S. (pdf), so that means each of us has to man-up and consume about seven extra glasses a year to absorb the increased production. Alas, California wine shipments dropped last year the equivalent of 48 million bottles. Net surplus: 144 million bottles. So make that 10 glasses.
Average per-ton price dropped about a buck, to $608. (White grapes dropped $8 to $534 and red grapes went up $4 to $664. Prices for Pinot Noir dropped 17% and Chardonnay tanked, if you will pardon the expression, 7.5%. Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel stayed more-or-less the same, Sauvignon Blanc dropped 8%, Cab Franc rose 7%, Merlot dropped 4% and Syrah fell 8%. The improbably buzz-worthy Blaufrankisch – which didn’t even make the charts last year — sold for an astounding $3,500 a ton. (Production of the grape formerly known as Lemberger rose from 16 to 27 tons.)
According to this, American wine spending rose 2.1% last year. Virtually all of that growth was in wines under $15, with wines over $50 taking a huge hit. Here’s anecdotal evidence suggesting that some of the most successful and respected vignerons in the world aren’t getting a lot of sleep these days.
As a case in point, (Los Angeles wine retailer Bob) Golbahar cites the posh Napa standard Opus One, which usually sells briskly during the holidays, when it’s frequently employed as a business gift. In past seasons, he’s sold as many as 150 bottles of the wine, which retails for $140 to $170 a bottle. This year he sold six.
Since we’re buying substantially cheaper wine than we were a couple of years ago, it’s apparent we’re drinking more. Who can blame us after the year we just had?