FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2016 California Winegrape Crush; Return to Normalcy
(February 10, 2017, San Rafael, CA) – The Preliminary California Grape Crush Report released today
shows 4,000,790 tons were crushed. The report reveals the overall crush was up 8% from the 2015 harvest,
and the average winegrape price was up 14% to $789/ton. A more in depth look shows the standout
varietals, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, Petite Sirah, and Pinot Noir proved to be the large
tonnage increases from the previous 2015 vintage. New plantings along the coast and the northern interior
have produced the rebound yields.
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon gained a surprising 101,500 tons for a historic state total of 557,192.
Virtually all California regions increased from 2015 to 2016. Lodi, Modesto, and Paso Robles areas
experienced their biggest tonnage ever. We believe that the large increase is due to new plantings
coming on line, as vine yields seemed average. Anticipate that the 2017 California Cabernet Sauvignon
harvest could move quickly towards 600,000 tons. – Glenn Proctor
Chardonnay tonnage was up by 6% and back to 672,000 tons, a yield closer to a state average. This
year’s harvest showed regional gains and losses almost opposite to what we had seen in the previous year’s
light harvest. Large gains of 12 to 19% were noted in the premium Coastal regions of Sonoma, Napa, and
Monterey where demand has been the highest. However yields in the Southern interior valleys from
Fresno to Bakersfield were down by 3 to 7%. Pricing for Chardonnay was up as a state average by 10.8%
reflecting a continued demand for California’s largest wine grape varietal. – John White
The 2016 California Pinot Grigio crop came in at 243,665 tons, up 58,467 tons or 31.6% from
2015. This was the result of new plantings of the last few years beginning to approach full production.
Statewide average pricing was essentially flat at $595 per ton. The majority of the state’s Pinot Grigio
plantings are in the Central Valley and are controlled by wineries with owned vineyards and/or long
term contracts. With that, the opportunity for spot grape purchasing will remain limited in the near
future. But there are currently bulk wine purchasing opportunities that didn’t exist after the 2015
harvest. With Pinot Grigio continuing to show strong demand, we see the market to continue to be
essentially balanced. – Chris Welch
2015 Sauvignon Blanc Vintage witnessed a large influx of demand due to the lowest yields in the past
five vintages. In 2015 California harvested 88,256 tons, 2016 we gained 19.5% up to 105,509 tons. Even
with this increase in supply, demand made the 2016 Sauvignon Blanc crop feel small. – Todd Azevedo
As expected the 2016 Pinot Noir crop provided some relief coming in approximately 35% higher than
the 2015 crop report. The Central Coast made the biggest rebound with approximately 58% increase and
the North Coast increased approximately 32% from the previous vintage. $1,831/ton was the average
price for Pinot Noir in 2016. The highest price per ton comes from Sonoma County at $3,657. Even with
the increased yields and high prices, demand remains at an all-time high. – Todd Azevedo
After two consecutive light harvests, total state production of Zinfandel was up 6.7% from 2015 to
414,559 tons. Almost all areas saw increases in tonnage, the largest being District 11 (Lodi) increasing
22.7% to a total of 146,397 tons. District 13 (Madera/Fresno) totaled 159,547 tons but was down (3.8%) with most of the production destined for a struggling white zin market. On the North Coast
District 3 (Sonoma) rose 13.5% while District 4 (Napa) was down (-11%). Despite the increase in
production, tonnage levels were still far below that of 2012 and 2013 with relatively no newly planted
acres. – Johnny Leonardo
State reported a decrease of 40,000 tons produced into grape juice concentrate for 2016 versus 2015.
Only 393,000 tons or (9.4%) of this seasons harvest went to concentrate. Specifically, Rubired tonnage
was down (11.4%) to 47,000 tons. Raisin and table grapes totaled 196,000 ton or an increase of 17%.
We continue to see strong demand on Red juice concentrate, and weaker demand for white concentrate.
– John Ciatti
About CIATTI GLOBAL WINE & GRAPE BROKERS
The Ciatti Company is the world’s largest and most comprehensive bulk wine and grape brokerage. Aside
from its home base in San Rafael, California, seven additional offices around the world provide clients
the kind of information and intelligence that today’s competitive global wine industry demands.
The company, founded in 1972, has deep roots in the wine industry, both in California and the countries
in which the company operates. The current partnership includes industry professionals with over 135
years of collective experience including: John Ciatti, Greg Livengood, Glenn Proctor, John White, Chris
Welch and Steve Dorfman.
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Contact: Ciatti Company, Lora Parnell, 1101 Fifth Ave # 170, San Rafael, CA 94901 [email protected]
Phone (415) 458 – 5150 Fax (415) 458-5160
http://www.ciatti.com
Twitter @CiattiCompany