A crushing victory: 2016 Lodi grape harvest second largest on record
Last year was a bountiful crop for Lodi’s vineyards, which produced the second largest harvest in history, according to recent numbers released from the annual Grape Crush Report for 2016 from the California Department of Farming and Agriculture.
During 2016, growers harvested more than 800,000 tons of grapes, which accounts for about 20 percent of California’s total winegrape production, according to Stuart Spencer, program director of the Lodi Winegrape Commission.
A few varieties — Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon — had much larger crops than in the past two years, he said, however there is an increasing number of other winegrapes being produced including Pinot Gris, which wasn’t really being grown in the Lodi area 10 years ago.
Several conditions contributed to the healthy-sized crop, including new acreage of vineyards which has just begun to come into production.
“Part of it is Mother Nature delivered bigger and better winter rains than in previous years,” he said.
Similar results were seen across the state as a whole with the tons of grapes crushed increasing by 9.3 percent from 2015 to 2016 (3.9 million tons to 4.2 million tons). California’s leading varieties last year were Chardonnay (16 percent of total crush), Cabernet Sauvignon (13.4 percent) and Zinfandel (9.9 percent).
Prices did trend up in comparison to previous years, with the average for 2016 in the Lodi district at $630 per ton of grapes, although it is below the state average for the year ($762).
Red wine grapes accounted for an increasing percentage of production in the state and also earned more profit with average prices at $918 per ton in comparison to white wine grapes, which brought in an average of $598 per ton in 2016.
Out of all districts, the biggest producer in the state last year was District 13 consisting of the areas including Madera, Fresno, Alpine, Mono, Inyo, Kings and Tulare counties.
Looking forward, Lodi may see more interest from outside buyers looking for quality grapes at more affordable prices that can be found in the coastal regions like Sonoma and Napa, Spencer said. With the trend toward premiumization, wineries will be looking to control costs while still delivering a higher-end quality product.
What 2017 will bring for the crop after heavy winter storms remains to be seen so early in the growing season. Certainly water shortage shouldn’t be as much of an issue, Spencer said.
“The grape crush is sort of in the rear view now. The wet weather now has captured everyone’s attention,” he said. “We’re looking forward to some drier times so we can get back to farming.”