Chardonnay Is The Leading Grape for California Winemaking / 2005 Grape Crush Sets New Record

Some 17.1% of all 2005 grapes crushed for wine in California were Chardonnay. Cabernet Sauvignon came in second with 12.5% and Zinfandel came in third with 10.4% of the crush. The total crush set a new record of 4.3M tons, topping the previous record of 3.95M tons, set in 2000.

Remarkable upgrade in the composition of the grape crush during past decade. As startling as it is, the gross increase in the California crush is not the story. Instead, it is the difference of what constituted the crush at the beginning of the 1996-2005 decade and the grape varieties that now make up those impressive statistics. Of the total crush of grapes for wine and brandy making in 1996 (2.9M tons), the leading grape was the raisin variety Thompson Seedless (21%) followed by the white wine grape variety French Colombard (15%). Chardonnay provided only 11% of this crush, followed by Zinfandel at 10%, Chenin Blanc at 6% and Cabernet Sauvignon at 5%. By the time of the record 2005 crush (4.3M tons), Chardonnay had become the leading California grape and accounted for 17.1% of the total crush, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon at 12.5%, Zinfandel at 10.4%, Thompson Seedless now down to 10.2%, French Colombard, now down to 7.0% and Chenin Blanc, a mere 2.2%.

Chardonnay is supreme among the white varietal wines. The ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) crowd might not be pleased, but the harvest in Chardonnay increased from 309,464 tons in 1996 to 742,299 tons in 2005 (according to the 2005 Grape Crush Report of the California Department of Food and Agriculture) while the grape that produces California's second most popular varietal white wine, Sauvignon Blanc, more than doubled (from 48,637 tons to 116,857 tons in 2005). What this has meant is that better tasting wines are now lining consumer shelves and are priced within the reach of all consumers. While one can produce innocuous wine out of any grape, the chance the consumer has of drinking a wine that smells and tastes appealing has climbed dramatically. This undoubtedly has contributed to the growth in sales of California wine.

Cabernet Sauvignon has passed Zinfandel as California's most popular red wine. While most grape growing climates in the world make Cabernet Sauvignon into a problematic wine grape, in California this distinctive varietal is a dependable producer and can consistently yield a handsome, well-structured, satisfying wine on its own without the necessity of blending it with any other grape. This remarkable phenomenon has certainly increased the popularity of the varietal for both winemakers and grape growers. During the decade from 1996 to 2005, the bearing acreage climbed from 33,359 acres to nearly 75,000 acres and the crush went from 158,643 tons to 542,480 tons. While the always popular Zinfandel did not grow quite as fast, the numbers are still impressive. Bearing acreage went from 36,249 to nearly 49,000 acres and the crush grew from 299,843 tons to 448,144 tons. Significant here is that at the end of the decade far more of the crush went into producing red wine from the grapes crushed, rather than into "white" Zinfandel. The other red varietal that has big numbers is Merlot. The bearing acreage went from 14,811 acres to over 52,000 acres and the crush grew from 104,041 tons to 423,712 tons. All of this gain in both the red and the white crush took place while grape growers were still replanting phylloxera damaged vineyards.

For the full report on California's 2005 grape crush (released in March) and the 2005 acreage report (released in April 2006), contact the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Phone: 916-498-5161; fax: 916-498-5186; email: nass-ca@nass.usda.gov; or check the NASS website