California table grapes saw an interesting start to the season. Mexico's crop was lighter and finished earlier than usual, which resulted in the market being very active when California's season started. Demand has been strong from the beginning, both domestically as well as overseas. "However, right upon the start of harvest in July, it was very, very hot and we got the biggest stretch of heatwave I've ever seen," says Nick Dulcich with Pretty Lady Vineyards. To protect themselves, the vines shut down, delaying fruit development. This resulted in lower sugar levels in the grapes. Not only did the heatwave cause a delay in maturity, it also slowed down harvest as high temperatures caused a smaller window to pick grapes.
Green Emerald seedless grapes.
Green Applause grape
"Fortunately, the heat wave has ended and we now have cooler weather. Conditions are perfect right now. We've had beautiful weather in the past two weeks and the nights are much cooler." As a result, the season is starting to ramp up. Overall, it is a lighter crop than normal, and yields vary greatly by variety. As for green grapes, Pretty Lady is currently harvesting the Green Emerald variety. "We had to wait for the sugar levels to come up on this variety," admitted Dulcich. "We are still having to be selective which grapes to pick, which slows down harvest." Another green grape variety currently being harvested is Applause™, also called Sugra54. "It's a new variety from Sun World. Applause is big in size and has a pronounced muscat flavor. Next month, harvest of the green Autumncrisp® variety will start.
Scarlet Royal and Red Applause™, known as Sugra60, are the red grape varieties currently being harvested and in October, Allison and Scarlotta® will be ready. This season, red grapes are slower to color up however the quality and sugar levels make for a great eating experience.
Red and green Applause grapes.
Black grape market unusually tight
Taking a look at black grapes, harvest of Midnight Beauty® just finished and Adora Seedless® will be harvested in late September. "The dynamics in the black grape market are very different this year from previous years," said Dulcich. As demand in Asia has decreased in recent years, acreage was taken out and as a result, less fruit is available this year. "The volume of black grapes in the San Joaquin Valley is lower than it has ever been," he commented. "Normally, black grapes aren't in high demand, but because the market is so tight, it feels like there is more demand this year." While the volume is lower, the quality has been really good, which is reflected in strong pricing.
Strong demand
With California table grape production being smaller than normal and grapes being slow to mature, Pretty Lady is concentrating on harvesting high brix fruit with outstanding quality. "We are waiting with picking fruit until the quality is right as that will bring customers back to the store for repeat purchases." While grapes are slower to enter the market, demand is also higher than usual, creating a perfect storm. "North America cherries were done early as Northern Washington and British Columbia had a freeze event in January. Currently there is no competition from cherries and demand for grapes is strong."
While the central valley California table grape season has been going for about eight weeks, the majority of volume has yet to hit the market. "Most grapes are sold from mid-September through December."
Scarlet Royal variety.
For more information:
Nick Prosper Dulcich
Pretty Lady Vineyards
Tel: (+1) 661-792-6360
[email protected]
www.dulcich.com