California Ag Network

Tag: Grape Crush Report

  • Final 2024 California Grape Crush, Not Quite as Small as Projected

    CDFA recently released their Final 2024 California Grape Crush Report, totaling 2,961,433 tons, down 24.1% from the 2023 crush of 3,899,631 tons. The final report reflects a 43,275 ton increase from the preliminary report released last month, which still represents a historic, significant decline compared with the last 20 years of harvests in California. Red wine varieties accounted for the largest share of all grapes crushed, at 1,466,346 tons, down 25.7% from 2023. White wine varieties crushed totaled 1,417,993 tons, down 17.2% from 2023. Tons crushed of raisin type varieties totaled 23,630, down 51.7% from 2023, and tons crushed of table type varieties totaled 53,463, down 67.8% from 2023. For a full analysis of the report, view a recording of American Vineyard Live webcast featuring Turrentine Brokerage HERE.

    The Grape Crush Report includes the total number of tons crushed for concentrate production. In determining grape tonnage crushed for concentrate production, each processor was required to report the estimated equivalent tons of grapes crushed for grape concentrate. For the 2024 season, this total was 270,519 tons, 9.1% of the 2024 grape crush total. This report provides only the aggregate figure for grapes crushed for concentrate production and does not include information by district, type, or variety.

    The 2024 average price of all varieties was $1,009.60, down 2.9% from 2023. Average prices for the 2024 crop by type were as follows: red wine grapes, $1,335.93, down 0.7% from 2023; white wine grapes, $706.84, down 3.6% from 2023; raisin grapes, $296.41, up 2.9% from 2023; and table grapes, $150.65, down 22.5% from 2023.

    LEADING GRAPE VARIETIES AND DISTRICTS

    In 2024, Chardonnay continued to account for the largest percentage of the total tonnage crushed at 17.8%. Cabernet Sauvignon accounted for the second largest percentage of the total crush at 15.4%. Raisin grape varieties crushed for wine accounted for 0.8% of the total crush and table varieties crushed for wine were 1.8% of the total crush.

    District 13 (Madera, Fresno, Alpine, Mono, Inyo Counties; and Kings and Tulare Counties north of Nevada Avenue (Avenue 192)), had the largest share of the State’s crush at 907,220 tons. The average price per ton in District 13 was $338.64.

    Grapes produced in District 4 (Napa County) received the highest average price at $6,938.96 per ton, down 1.3% from 2023. District 3 (Sonoma and Marin counties) received the second highest average price at $2,927.18 per ton, down 1.8% from 2023.

    The 2024 Chardonnay average price of $1,056.63 was down 1.4% from 2023 and the Cabernet Sauvignon average price of $2,181.93 was up 2.7% from 2023. The 2024 average price for French Colombard was $306.60, down 3.7% from 2023, while the Pinot Noir average price was up 1.6% from 2023, at $1,728.36 per ton.

    The Final Grape Crush Report includes all grape tonnage crushed during the 2024 season. It also includes purchased tonnage and pricing information for grapes with final prices prior to January 10, 2025. View the full crush report HERE.

  • California Final Grape Crush Report 2018

    The 2018 crush totaled 4,506,583 tons, up 6.2 percent from the 2017 crush of 4,241,945 tons. Red wine varieties accounted for the largest share of all grapes crushed, at 2,447,930 tons, up 8.8 percent from 2017. The 2018 white wine variety crush totaled 1,833,755 tons, up 3.8 percent from 2017. Tons crushed of raisin type varieties totaled 82,508, down 12.5 percent from 2017, and tons crushed of table type varieties totaled 142,391, up 8.0 percent from 2017.

    The 2018 average price of all varieties was $831.63, up 6.8 percent from 2017. Average prices for the 2018 crop by type were as follows: red wine grapes, $1,019.03, up 5.5 percent from 2017; white wine grapes, $634.84, up 8.0 percent from 2017; raisin grapes, $299.48, up 18.4 percent; and table grapes, $192.01, up 7.6 percent.

    Leading Grape Varieties and Districts

    In 2018, Chardonnay continued to account for the largest percentage of the total crush volume with 15.8 percent. Cabernet Sauvignon accounted for the second leading percentage of crush with 15.1 percent. Thompson Seedless, the leading raisin grape variety crushed for 2018, was only 1.5 percent of the total crush.

    District 13, (Madera, Fresno, Alpine, Mono, Inyo Counties; and Kings and Tulare Counties north of Nevada Avenue (Avenue 192)), had the largest share of the State’s crush, at 1,370,068 tons. The average price per ton in District 13 was $318.38.

    Grapes produced in District 4 (Napa County) received the highest average price of $5,571.44 per ton, up 6.6 percent from 2017. District 3 (Sonoma and Marin counties) received the second highest return of $2,817.92, up 0.3 percent from 2017. The 2018 Chardonnay price of $970.76 was up 5.1 percent from 2017, and the Cabernet Sauvignon price of $1,683.25 was up 8.3 percent from 2017. The 2018 average price for Zinfandel was $600.21, up 1.5 percent from 2017, while the Pinot Noir average price was down 0.9 percent from 2017 at $1,674.62 per ton.

    Don’t miss the May issue of American Vineyard Magazine for a full analysis of the 2018 California grape crush.  Click on the image below to view the entire Grape Crush Report from USDA.

  • Grape Crush Report Rescheduled for April 10 Release

    The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) are rescheduling cooperatively funded reports that were affected by the lapse in federal funding. During the lapse, NASS was not able to collect data nor issue reports, including those funded by state and industry programs.

    The following reports have been rescheduled and others will be announced as soon as they are determined:

    • 2018 California Grape Crush Report will be released Wednesday, April 10, 2019 at Noon Pacific Time, providing that funding remains available for Fiscal Year 2019.
    • There will not be a Grape Crush Preliminary Report this year.
    • 2018 California Grape Acreage Report will be released Friday, April 19, 2019 at Noon Pacific Time, providing that funding remains available for Fiscal Year 2019.

    In order to expedite the rescheduled reports and give producers more time to complete their surveys, NASS requests that anyone who received a survey, please respond as quickly as possible:

    If you have received any of these surveys and have not responded, but no longer have the survey form, please call 800-851-1127 from 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Pacific Time. NASS representatives may call to collect information as well. NASS surveys provide critical data used by numerous different federal, state and local programs that benefit farmers and ranchers.

    These reports will be available in the May issue of American Vineyard Magazine.

  • Grape Crush Report May be Impacted by Government Shutdown

    The ongoing federal government shutdown, which began Dec. 22, may soon affect a key program of great importance to winegrape growers.

    Thursday, Jan. 10 is the deadline for wineries to submit grape purchase data from the 2018 harvest to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Pacific Region office. NASS collects and compiles the data for publication in the Crush Report, which is published annually. The 2019 publication dates are Feb. 8 for the preliminary report and March 8 for the final report. Many purchase contracts between growers and wineries rely on reported prices to establish grape pricing in the following year.

    Currently, NASS staff responsible for producing the report are on unpaid furlough until funding is restored. A continuation of the shutdown makes timely publication of the Crush Report highly uncertain.

    Bill Berryhill, CAWG Chairman

    “The Crush Report, which the industry pays for, provides essential financial information to California winegrape growers,” said Bill Berryhill, a Ceres-area grower and chair of the CAWG board of directors. “Lengthy delays in publishing the report threaten to complicate contract negotiations, interfere with lending activity and make it difficult for growers to budget for the year ahead.

    “We need our elected leaders in Washington, D.C. to quickly resolve this budget impasse and get programs like the Crush Report back up and running,” Berryhill said.

    NASS and many other USDA agencies that are critical to grape growers have been affected by the shutdown. Other agencies include Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Agricultural Research Service, Farm Service Agency, Foreign Agricultural Service, Risk Management Agency, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

  • Al Scheid, CAWG 2017 Leader of the Year Tribute

    The 2017 “Leader of the Year Award”, given by the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG), was awarded to Salinas Valley wine grape grower Al Scheid from Scheid Vineyards Inc. Al was greatly instrumental in the formation of both CAWG and the CA Grape Crush Report, among many other accomplishments throughout his many years of service in the industry. Watch this video presentation from the CAWG Summer Conference to learn more about this grape industry leader.

    Sponsored By:

    Calagnet & YARA