Normal harvest bodes well for California wineries

The California wine harvest came in at normal levels for a second year in a row in 2007, and brokers say the industry is heading back into balance after the curve thrown by 2005’s bumper crop.

Preliminary figures released by state agriculture officials Friday showed that the overall grape crop, including table grapes and raisins, totaled nearly 3.7 million tons in 2007, up 5% from the year before.

Looking at just wine grapes, the increase was smaller, 3.2 million tons compared with 3.1 million tons in 2006.

The 2007 total is “probably right where we need to be,” said John Ciatti of San Rafael-based Ciatti Company Wine & Grape Brokers. “It feels much better out there.”

Prices to growers in 2007 dropped, decreasing about 2% for red wine varieties and 4% for white, which Ciatti said reflected the industry’s working through the 2005 inventory.

Napa County, as usual, was the leader, with grapes from that region fetching an average of more than $3,200 per ton, up 7% from the year before.

Chardonnay was the leading grape variety by volume, accounting for 16% of the crop. Cabernet sauvignon was second at 11.5%.