US: 2013 was another solid year for wine industry, but drought looms

(SacBee) -  As much-needed rain fell outside the Hyatt Regency on Wednesday morning, a standing-room-only crowd was treated to more good news at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium’s “state of the industry” presentation.

According to Allied Grape Growers, a Fresno-based grape growers association, an estimated 4.05 million tons of grapes were crushed statewide in 2013. It’s the second straight year that California logged more than 4 million tons of crushed grapes, following a record 4.3 million tons crushed in 2012. This glut of grapes has helped ease fears of shortages – a hot Unified topic in 2012 – and leaves the domestic wine industry with ample supply as drought hits California.

“The future looks bright for California and American grown grapes,” said Nat DiBuduo, president of Allied Grape Growers. “(An average 4 million tons crushed) may be the new average of the future.”

Wednesday also brought uplifting news for Bogle Vineyards of Clarksburg, which was named “2013 Winery of the Year” at the state of the industry’s conclusion. According to Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates, a Bay Area-based wine consulting firm that supplies wine market data for Unified, Bogle shipped more than 2 million cases in 2013 – a 12 percent increase from the previous year.