As European Vintners Uproot Vines, Their US Counterpart Expand Vineyards
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In a recent article published by Seattle's Puget Sound Business Journal, journalist Steve Wilhelm wrote that Washington state's vintners expect a record harvest of grapes to fuel the local burgeoning wine industry.
The abundant crop, which is expected to hit 155,000 tons of grapes, a 7% increase from last year, is due partly to the perfect weather throughout the growing season, but mostly to new acreage of vineyards across the state. In fact, 36,000 acres of new vines will be harvested in Washington state for the first time in 2009.
At the same time, the EU wine reform which took effect in August 2008, aims to remove 175,000 hectares (around 432,435 acres) of vineyards out of the existing 3.6 million hectares (about 8.9 million acres) in a three-year-period to decrease the volume of grapes produced while increasing the overall quality.
The two diametrically opposite tendencies highlight the overall trends which are developing on the two continents. Where Europe tends to produce less wine of better quality, the US wine industry aims to produce more wine.
These trends are supported by other data as well, such as the results of two recent studies about the habits of wine drinkers in this time of economic crises.
The first study, commissioned by wine estate Marchesi de' Frescobaldi, shows that 70% of Italian consumers are committed to buying quality wines as usual, decreasing the quantity because of diminished disposable income. On the other hand, a US study conducted by The Nielsen Group indicates that American consumers are much more likely to purchase the same amount of wine as before, choosing less expensive and discounted wines during the current downturn.
According to another Nielsen Survey, sales of Washington table wines have expanded their market share nationwide despite the recession, rising 9.1% at retail level, for the 52 weeks period ending July 25. Sales of California table wines grew 5.7% during the same period.
Washington's wine grape crop is still dwarfed by California's 3.3 million tons, but observers say that lower land costs are attracting new growers. There are currently about 350 growers and 650 wineries in Washington, and the number of both is growing.
Vicky Sharlau, executive director for the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers, said that with the harvest so large, some growers may be pruning back vines to yield better grapes. She added that the grapes which will actually be made into wine may be about 147,000 tons, similar to 2008, as wineries seek to move the highest-quality grapes through their limited production facilities.
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