The grape harvest will begin next week in Coachella, California. "We'll start in a light way with some green grapes such as the Sugrafiftytwo which is a Sun World variety that hasn't been given a name yet," says Rob Spinelli of Anthony Vineyards Inc.
Overall, the start to the season in Coachella is probably five days earlier than normal for green grapes. For Anthony Vineyards, its red Flame grape harvest will start slightly later in the week or even May 19th. "Then we'll move into our Ruby Rush variety which is another Sun World variety, probably right after Memorial Day weekend," says Spinelli, noting that this variety will see production into July.
This start follows good growing conditions in Coachella. "It's been mild. We had some weather during bloom on some early Flames that are going to be a bit off but the normal mid-season Flame and the Ruby Rush are fine," he says. The same weather event also affected the Sugraone crop and while the quality is expected to be good, the crop will likely be lighter by about 30 percent. "Generally it's not a heavy crop but it's not a light crop overall–it's going to be a decent-sized one for us," says Spinelli.
Coachella and Mexico's seasons
As the start of the California season, production in Coachella has declined over the years with significant production taking place at the same time in Mexico–the opposite of what was seen 20 years ago. "There's really only four or five growers left in Coachella. Out of the 2-2.5 million boxes, we are probably about 50-60 percent of that," Spinelli says.
That said, Anthony Vineyards continues diversifying its varieties by planting specialty grape varieties such as green Sweet Globes and Honey Pop grapes and on reds, Ruby Rush, and moving away from Flames. "We won't have a crop for this season but we've also planted Cotton Candy grapes in Coachella which will be ready in 2026," says Spinelli. "On organics, we're also starting to put in newer varieties. We're always looking into new varieties for planting on both conventional and organic grapes in both districts."
As for the transition from imported grapes to domestic, Spinelli believes it will be easier than last year. "Coachella and Mexico are starting a bit earlier than last year, especially on greens while reds are starting as per normal or a tad later due to the early Flame yields being off. So we will end up waiting for them a bit with the Chilean red grapes still in the system," he says. Chilean fruit should have about two weeks left though there are some reports of condition problems on Chilean red grapes, which could have retailers switching to fruit from Coachella and Mexico earlier.
What about demand? It's expected to be good this season. On green grapes, some retailers and wholesalers are moving 3:1 now on greens vs. reds–the opposite of what it used to be. It could be driven by the popularity of newer varieties of green grapes which are being packed fresh consistently from a number of regions making for a better eating experience overall for consumers. "In the past, greens normally didn't have the sugar right or the flavor. Back when I first started, we didn't have a green grape that was freshly harvested in November. It was all storage grapes," says Spinelli.
Green vs. red production
Vineyards have also always largely been set up for red, not green grapes and are slowly transitioning more plantings now to the latter though it can take three to four years for a vineyard to see full production.
As for pricing, it's expected to be slightly stronger this year in the mid-$20s thanks to increased costs on growing inputs such as labor, and tariffs on packaging, some of which are sourced from China, along with increased application costs for growing. "We will need retailers to price right from the start for the consumer so we can all benefit from movement at the grocery stores," says Spinelli. "The consumer is the one who will see the price adjustment, more so than anyone else."
For Anthony Vineyards, while it has late vineyards in Coachella, it also has early vineyards starting in the San Joaquin Valley in early July, making for a seamless transition between growing regions. The rest of the San Joaquin Valley is expected to start in the third week in July.
For more information:
Rob Spinelli
Anthony Vineyards
Tel: +1 (661) 858-8300
www.anthonyvineyards.com