Good News: 2012 California wine grape harvest deemed excellent

The Wine Institute is reporting that California’s wine grape harvest has “yielded generous amounts of high-quality fruit.” That’s good news.

In terms of quantity, the harvest is up too, from 3.3 million tons last year to an estimated 3.7 million tons in 2012. The weather cooperated to give plenty of sunshine and cooler nights.

Some winemakers are calling the growing season idyllic. That’s Napa Valley winemaker Aron Weinkauf of Spottswoode Estate Vineyard and Winery’s take on the harvest.

And that’s basically the word up and down the state. The Central Coast, which had cooler weather this year, didn’t report such an upswing in quantity though. But Kurt Ammann of Dierberg & Star Lane Vineyards in Santa Barbara is quoted as calling 2012 as close to a “perfect vintage” as we’ve seen in quite some time.

Can’t wait til the vintage is released? Plan an excursion to California wine country sometime next year when you might get the chance to taste some of these wines in barrel.

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