California State Passport

California State Passport

California State Passport

Posted on: January 13, 2012 - 9:42 am
by Admin

Since California produces close to 90% of all U.S. wine, trends in that state give us a very good basis for predicting the state of wine in the years following the crush. 2008 was admittedly a light year in terms of production, but 2009 came in as the second largest crush in California history. This, along with the current economic climate and the growing tide of value-priced imports, will certainly translate into huge bargains across the board. All sectors will be affected, from $3 bargain basement wines to pricey high-end beauties.

Changing Tastes in White Wine.

Chardonnay still holds first place in quantity produced with a 28% increase over the previous year. Much of the increase resulted from strong yields in California’s Sacramento Valley, whose vineyards suffered significant frost damage in 2008. But the largest increase in recent planting among white grape varieties was Pinot Grigio, an Italian grape that does exceedingly well in California and Oregon. Pinot Grigio, or Pinot Gris, is a mutation of Pinot Noir and offers a fresh, clean-drinking alternative to much New World Chardonnay, which is so often overly sweet and oakey. Pinot Grigio offers the additional advantage of being very much less expensive to produce since it rarely sees expensive oak barrels. Pinot Grigio production increased by 61% in 2009—the largest increase of any winegrape variety, white or red.