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fornia wines to export to countries such as China, the need for additional vineyard plantings will also rise. Thanks to forward-thinking nurseries upgrading their facilities to meet production requirements, vine shortages will be less likely to occur the next time there���s a planting boom. In the meantime, California growers��� best strategy is to visit nurseries to see what���s available, explore their rootstock options and order planting materials well in advance. those for their 2,500 to 4,000 vinesper-acre plantings,��� Duarte said. EAST COAST IMMUNITY On the East Coast, the market remains largely immune to the supply vagaries experienced by California growers. ���In the East, demand has been fairly consistent. Over the last several years, we never really peaked and we never really troughed,��� said Dennis Rak, owner of Double A Vineyards nursery in Fredonia, N.Y. ���We���ve been at steady-stage growth. For most Eastern varieties, things are going to be available as they have been in the past.��� It also helps that Eastern wineries tend to be small operations. ���A winery here might have 5,000 cases, so even if they double their acreage ��� say by 20 acres ��� that���s not a huge issue,��� Rak said. ���The scale here is smaller. We are a younger industry, so what we really have got going on is just establishment and expansion of the existing industry on a pretty regular, predictable scale.��� But for Eastern growers looking for vinifera varieties rather than hybrids or natives, sourcing vines may be a bit of a challenge. ���For folks that call up at the last minute and say, ���Hey, I need some chardonnay,��� that might not be available this year,��� Rak said. ORDER EARLY After weathering a soft market, nurseries want growers to confirm orders early with contracts and deposits. Vintage Nurseries takes orders three years in advance. ���It���s never too early to order vines,��� Hooper said. ���If you order that far out, you can get exactly what you want ��� there���s no doubt about it.��� Sunridge works to get firm orders. ���Foreign buyers, who might also be loyal customers, are putting pressure on us,��� Maniaci said, ���so we���re trying to get our domestic growers to commit by signing a contract and giving us a deposit so we know their order for 2014 is real.��� w w w. v w m media.com Cynthia Rosi worked as a news- Steve Maniaci, general manager at Sunridge Nurseries, advises growers not to put off ordering vines. paper journalist in London for 10 years before moving to Columbus, Ohio, with her vintner husband Paolo. He runs Via Vecchia Winery, and she writes articles and novels. Comments? Please e-mail us at feedback@vwmmedia.com. It���s important for growers to get out to the nurseries to see their facilities, Duarte added. ���If growers are planting vines in the next couple of years, it���s important for them to get out and understand the resources that nurseries have, to see who can fulfill their needs.��� GLOBAL DEMAND Although about 85% of Vintage Nurseries��� business stays in California, the company ships across the United States and into Canada, Mexico, Peru, South Africa and Australia. Sunridge also sells to overseas clients. It always takes care of its home base first, Maniaci said, but it also must honor foreign contracts. Selling abroad during a soft market at home helps keep nurseries in business. ���Global demand is steady,��� he said. ���There are some countries that have been prospering in these times of recession. Brazil and China are two primary examples of a substantial increase in buying power on the average per-capita basis. Their overall movement toward drinking wine has caused much more demand for it.��� As demand increases for CaliJ a n - F e b 2 0 13 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 67