While the wine grape harvest is still under way and expected to last well into October, early predictions are showing an especially bountiful crop for 2012.
According to Allied Grape Growers, a Fresno-based growers association, California's 2012 wine grape crop is expected to reach 3.7 million tons. That would tie the second-largest crop ever, and provide some balance after two consecutive years of smaller than usual harvests. It would be a 10 percent increase over 2011's harvest, and a significant increase from the 3.1 million tons harvested in 2010. Allied Grape Growers consider 3.5 million tons an average sized harvest.
After talk of supply shortage in California's wine industry, the 2012 crop could offer some relief. Wine shipments, meanwhile, were flat for the first six months of 2012, according to the Gomberg Fredrikson Report. California bulk wine exports fell by 13 percent, while bulk wine imports were up a whopping 164 percent.
Look for the final numbers related to shipments and the 2012 crop to be announced at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, set for the Sacramento Convention Center from Jan. 29 to Jan. 31.
