Vineyards and Wineries Continue to Thrive
Published May 27, 2009
The Grapecrusher by sculptor Gino Miles sits along Highway 29 and welcomes visitors to the fabled Napa Valley wine district.
Here’s a toast to the California wine industry, which is growing strong even in these tough economic times.
The industry continues to provide a $52 billion economic impact for California each year, with nearly 2,700 wineries in operation. Wine grapes valued at almost $2 billion are produced annually in California vineyards covering a total 527,000 acres.
“If we were a stand-alone country, we would rank fourth in the world for wine production behind France, Italy and Spain,” says Karen Ross, president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers. “More than 90 percent of the wine in the entire United States comes from California, with wineries and vineyards stretching from San Diego to the Oregon border.”
Ross says California wineries are still reporting robust sales, although consumers have been changing their buying habits to adjust to the times.
“In the past few years, we saw significant growth in the sale of higher-priced California wines, with many bottles selling for more than $20 apiece,” she says. “But ever since late 2008 and now in the current economy, we are seeing a shift by consumers looking for value. Many bottles are selling for under $7, while we are also seeing significant growth in the $7-to-$15 price range. So the industry is growing by volume but not as much in value right now, compared to what we experienced over the past four or five years.”
Ross adds that California should remain a strong wine-producing region simply because of Mother Nature. “Our Mediterranean climate of moderate temperatures, warm days, cool nights and Pacific Coast breezes makes California ideal for grape growing,” she says. “Plus the innovations of our winemakers help us compete on a worldwide basis.”
Advantages of Hand-Picked Grapes
Charlie Olken, publisher of a monthly subscription-only magazine, Connoisseur’s Guide to California Wine, says the state also is fortunate to have a large number of agricultural hand laborers available.
“We can hand-pick our grapes, not like Australia and other places that grow grapes but don’t have such a labor force,” Olken says. “Many of those countries pick grapes by machine, which means that all of the grapes get picked. That includes the less desirable ones that might have mold, are shriveled and have other defects. That doesn’t happen with California hand-picked grapes.”
The Napa Valley, Sonoma and the Central Coast continue to be the superstars of California wine production, but Olken says several other parts of the state are strong producing regions. On the southern extremity of the Central Coast, “Santa Barbara is excellent, and its close proximity to Los Angeles makes it where Los Angelinos go to taste wine and enjoy a weekend in wine country,” he says. “Other top areas include the counties of Alameda, Lake, Mendocino, Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Clara.”
Olken also points out that California wineries don’t necessarily need to grow grapes to succeed. “For example, Rosenblum Cellars in Alameda City ships in all of its grapes to a headquarters building, where it then makes 200,000 cases of wine each year,” he says. “There are a variety of ways to make wines these days in California – a variety of successful ways.”
Story by Kevin Litwin
Photo by Jeff Adkins
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