Table grape harvest in California's main growing region, the Central Valley, is still a few weeks away. "At this point, it is hard to tell when harvest will start exactly," says Nick Dulcich with Pretty Lady Vineyards. "It will start anywhere between July 1 and July 10, but I think the majority of growers will start picking after the 4th." It's a matter of waiting for the right sugar levels as the fruit needs to taste good. Don't pick sour grapes is what my dad used to say."
So far, the weather has been ideal. It was a good bloom and due to favorable conditions, the crop load was quite heavy on some varieties, but trimming down the bunches helped significantly. "As a result, the crop is not overloaded, nor underloaded and we are expecting high quality fruit and strong yields. It's way too early to tell how the season will unfold, but the way things are looking now, the quality of the fruit is way up there. We are hoping for the best," commented Dulcich.
© Pretty Lady Vineyards
Photos of Ruby Rush grapes taken this week.
Demand exceeds supply
At the start of the season, demand and pricing are expected to be high. Mexico's grape volume will be below their early projections and as a result, the pipeline is expected to be relatively empty when California's Central Valley starts up. California grapes are likely to enter the market in a demand exceeding supply situation. "For that reason, we expect a hot market with high pricing until the pipeline has filled up and the market stabilizes," shared Dulcich. In addition to an empty pipeline, the expectation is for grape volume in the Valley to be lower this year. "On top of that, we are in Maricopa, an early region, so I'm thinking the high prices could last three weeks."
Pretty Lady Vineyards' season will start with early green, red and black varieties: Sugar Drop™, Ruby Rush®, and Midnight Beauty® respectively. "That's our opening act and these varieties will be harvested until late July/early August before we move into phase two of the season."
© Pretty Lady VineyardsSugar Drop grapes are sizing up nicely.
For more information:
Nick Prosper Dulcich
Pretty Lady Vineyards
Tel: (+1) 661-792-6360
[email protected]
www.dulcich.com
