Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/100792
New Shoots Follow Vine Shortage Supplies still available for 2013, if you know where to look f you���re looking to make a last-minute planting of wine grape vines in 2013, chances are you���ll hear the phrase, ���We���re sold out��� ��� especially if your vineyard site is located in the Central Valley. ���Growers that are planting heavily are concentrated in the San Joaquin Valley, and the San Joaquin Valley has a very short list of rootstocks that are suitable for the area,��� explained Steve Maniaci, general manager at Sunridge Nurseries in Bakersfield, Calif. ���Therefore, those rootstocks sell out ��� primarily 1103 Paulsen, Freedom and others.��� Sunridge has a front-row seat to observe the many factors driving the shortage. Overall, the nursery grafted just under 25 million vines in 2012 ��� about 27,000 acres. The company is completely sold out of wine grape vines for 2013, and even on some rootstocks through 2014. + There is a shortage of grafted wine AT A GLANCE BY CYNTHIA ROSI Maniaci points to a complex series of events, which has created an uptick in demand that doesn���t match supply: + The recession caused growers to back off on expansion projects and vine renewal, areas that are both surging forward now. + An increase in bulk wine and lower-price-point wine sales led to a shortage of those wines, and a need for new vines to supply this increased demand. + When business slowed, nurser- ies looked to foreign orders to make up sales, and are still filling these orders. + Many table grape growers have switched to rootstock (rather than growing vines on their own roots) to increase production. This shrinks overall rootstock availability. + About 200,000 acres of Thomp- son grapes came out during the recession. Many of those acres are now going back into production with new plantings in wine and table grapes, putting pressure on rootstock availability. grape vines for 2013, particularly for Central Valley rootstocks. + The shortage was caused by a burst of owners planting or renewing vineyards. + Nurseries back off on production when the market softens, but must anticipate its upswing well in advance. + Suppliers with vines available may ask you to be flexible with rootstock combinations. + Growers can help nurseries by making deposits and signing contracts for their plantings. Demand for grape vines is running high, as growers rush to plant new vineyards. Photo: Sunridge Nurseries 64 V I N E YARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT | Jan - Feb 2013 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m