Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/299589
w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m M a y - J u n e 2 014 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 1 3 According to the final 2013 "Grape Crush Report" published by the California office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agri- cultural Statistics Service (NASS) in March, the 2013 crush reached a record-high 4,699,416 tons, up 7% from the previous record of 4,387,434 tons from 2012. Wine grapes, which account for about 90% of the total crush, saw a 5% increase for 2013, coming in at 4,244,891 tons over the previous high in 2012 of 4,017,890. Red-wine variet- ies held the largest share of all grapes crushed and were up 5%. Cabernet sauvignon saw an increase of 27,258 tons, with cumulative increas- es in rubired, pinot noir, merlot and zinfandel. Muscat of Alexandria drove growth in ton- nage for white varieties, which increased by 6% with a gain of 47,096 tons. Chardonnay was up 22,374 tons and muscat blanc by 14,898 tons, while sauvignon blanc, symphony and viognier also posted increases. Of the leading varieties, percentages of total crush were down slightly across the board in 2013. For the last decade, chardonnay has accounted for the largest percentage of the total crush volume of wine grapes in California. In 2013, volume for the variety was down by .7% to 16.1%, and a full percentage point off its record high of 17.1% in 2005. The percentage total for cabernet sauvignon, California's leading grape variety in value and second only to chardonnay in volume, at 11.2%, dipped by one-tenth of a percent in 2013 and by more than a percentage point over its high in 2005 of 12.5%. Zinfandel, merlot and pinot noir each fell by .2% from 2012. While pinot noir has shown a steady gain over the last decade, reaching an all-time high in 2012 at 5.7%, both zinfandel (10%) and merlot (7.4%) saw record highs of 11.1% in 2007 and 9.8% in 2005, respectively. The "Other Varieties" category, which includes both red and white vari- eties, posted gains of 3.5 % for 2013, which reflects the increased tonnage for muscat and other reds, including malbec, tannat and petite sirah. Crush Report Highs and Lows Leading Varieties Crushed Percent of Total 2013 Crush Thompson Seedless Pinot Noir Rubired Other Varieties Chardonnay Cabernet Sauvignon Pinot Gris Zinfandel 5% 6% 6% 7% 7% 10% 4% 11% 16% 28% Merlot French Colombard Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Pacific Regional Office - California NEWS FLASH Paul Hobbs Enters Finger Lakes Partnership Winemakers Paul Hobbs of Sebastopol, Calif., and Johannes Selbach of Zeltingen, Germany, have purchased a 65-acre property in New York's Finger Lakes AVA. Preparation has begun at the vineyard site, which will be planted predominantly to riesling starting in 2015. Hobbs' brother, David Hobbs, a resident of Rochester, N.Y., will over- see daily operations. John Parducci Dies at 96 Pioneer winemaker John Parducci died Feb. 4 at his home near Ukiah, Calif., at age 96. A champion of Mendocino County wine- grapes, Parducci is credited with being the first to put Mendocino County and Anderson Valley on wine labels. The cause of death was "old age," according to family members. Most recently, Parducci made wine with his grandson, Richard Parducci, at the McNab Ranch Winery near Ukiah. TTB Updates Gluten Policy for Beverage Alcohol Following a review and consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has updated its policy on gluten labeling. Alcohol beverages made from ingredients that do not contain gluten (such as wines fermented from grapes or other fruit) may continue to make "gluten-free" claims in the same way allowed in the new FDA regulations for inherently gluten-free products. Chankaska Creek Recruits Michael Drash Minnesota's Chankaska Creek Ranch and Winery has hired Michael Drash as its vice president of winemaking. Drash spent 17 years working in production and winemaking at Northern California winer- ies including Far Niente and Luna Vineyards, and owns Tallulah Win- ery in Napa, Calif., with his wife, Tracy. For more industry news briefs, visit the News Flash page on V&WM's website: http://www.vwmmedia.com/magazine/web-exclusive1.asp. DEBORAH PARKER WONG