North Bay Business Journal

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.

The 2011 North Coast winegrape harvest began later and lighter than normal and even more than 2010, which suffered from some of the same early-season bad weather and cool summer conditions of this year.

The 2011 winegrape harvest finally is getting under way in Napa County, as sparkling wine producers start crushing a crop is later and appears to be lighter than normal and even last year’s weather-wearied vintage. Domaine Chandon started bringing in Napa fruit Friday. Mumm Napa and Schramsberg Vineyards plan to do so Monday; Domain Carneros, Wednesday.

Viticulturists trained at U.C., Davis have some high-tech methods for early season crop estimates. These techniques involve infinitesimal calculus and the molecular weights of certain tannin compounds.