HEARD ON THE BEAT / BUZZ FROM THE BUSINESS WORLD

Great Grapes: The effects of wet, cool El Nino linger. With grape maturation and harvest delayed by foul weather, California’s 1998 wine grape crush totaled 3.2 million tons, down 19% from the 1997 record, according to a preliminary report from the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The state’s grape growers received an average price of $498.42 per ton, slightly above 1997’s $497.16 per ton. Red wine grape varieties continued to account for the larger share of all wine grapes crushed. According to the Wine Institute in San Francisco, relieved vintners said the grapes have rich, intense flavors.