North Bay Business Journal

NORTH COAST — Many wine industry experts figured the 2012 winegrape harvest was going to be the biggest in several years and refill grower pockets after two smaller crops, but the first official tally of the crop released Friday suggests it was the biggest ever, even crushing the giant 2005 harvest in value and tonnage.

NORTH COAST — The first official tally of the impact of the stormy 2011 winegrape season is in: North Coast vintners crushed 11.8 percent fewer tons last year than in 2010, and the value of the 2011 crop at nearly $848 million was 6.9 percent smaller than the year before, despite average per-ton prices rising 5 percent to 10 percent last year, according to preliminary state figures released today.

Buried in the recently released 2010 California Grape Crush report are important considerations for North Coast winegrape growers this year.

NORTH COAST — Partly expected from the rains and scorching hot weather at key points during the winegrape season last year and weak market for high-end grapes, the 2010 harvest was 13.6 percent smaller in revenue and 4.7 percent smaller in tonnage than in 2009, according to preliminary state figures released today.

NORTH COAST — The North Coast winegrape crop, swelled by the second-largest chardonnay harvest ever, bounced back after the devastating frost damage of 2008 to make the 2009 crop the third largest on record, according to state estimates released today.