Small Business Resources, Business Advice and Forms from AllBusiness.com
 

Record winegrape crop set for California.

If estimates from the California Agricultural Statistics Service (CASS) are borne out, California will see a record winegrape crop of 2.70 million tons and a total crop of 5.8 million tons. The estimate for last year was 5.25 million tons with winegrapes accounting for 2.3 million tons. The actual

wine-grape total was closer to 2.2. million tons. Of the 5.8 million ton California total, 700,000 tons are of table type grapes and 2.40 millions are of raisin cultivars. The winegrape estimate is up 21% from the 1996 forecast. The Raisin Industry Diversion (RID) is not in effect this year. CASS reported maturity was ahead of normal thanks to a dry, warm spring, and that a good quality crop is expected.

On the pricing front, the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association (NVGGA) announced its recommended prices for the 1997 harvest. The recommended price range for Cabernet Sauvignon was $2,300-$2,500; $2,250-$2,300 for Cabernet franc; $2,200-$2,400 for Merlot; $2,000$2,300 for Pinot noir; $1,800-$2,000 for Sangiovese; $1,950-$2,100 for Zinfandel; $2,000-$2,200 for Chardonnay; $900$1,000 for Chenin blanc; $1,200-$1,400 for Sauvignon blanc; $1,200-$1,400 for Semillon and $1,000-$1,200 for White Riesling. The 1997 Growers Journal provides data on acreage, tonnage, and production costs and is available to nonmembers for $50 by calling the association at (707) 944-8311.

Cure for phylloxera?

* Greg Willis of Agri-Synthesis[R], Inc. has said his company has developed a cure - and proven it - for phylloxera in grapevines. He said his company's system will keep "phylloxerated vineyards in operation virtually indefinitely." The company's system is completely organic and works to achieve balance and fertility in the soil and is a variation of Bio-Dynamics. Willis cited yield increases of up to 500% the first year. He can be reached at (707) 258-9300 or by fax at (707) 258-9393. The mailing address is Box 10007, Napa, Calif. 94581.

LVMH proposal

* LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA, Paris has suggested to Guinness PLC (Guinness) and Grand Metropolitan PLC (Grand Met) that Moet merge with United Distillers (UD) and International Distillers and Vintners (IDV) and that non-spirits and non-wine business be "demergered" into separate food and brewing companies. Specifically, LVMH proposed that Pillsbury, Burger King, Guinness Brewing and Drinksco be demergered, that Moet Hennessey be fully-integrated into UD and IDV and that the above would create "the world's leading focused, listed spirits and wine company." LVMH cited annual cost savings estimated at [pounds]65 million given full integration of Moet Hennessey with UD and IDV. The merged beverages group would have annualized sales of [pounds]7.4 billion (1995-96) and "an unrivaled drinks distribution network and would be a market leader in five out of six premium drinks categories." The LVMH proposal was announced July 24.

In addition, make sure to read these articles:

  • Delicato Named Fastest Growing of Top...
  • NAPA, Calif. -- Delicato Family Vineyards was named the fastest growing of California's top ten wineries in 2004 by authoritative wine industry consultants Gomberg, ......
  • Kendall-Jackson Celebrates 20 Years With A...
  • Business Editors/Food and Wine Writers NOTE TO MEDIA: Multimedia assets available SANTA ROSA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 12, 2002 Kendall-Jackson is marking its 20th Harvest with the ......
  • Tough Market for Wine Industry, UC Graduate School...
  • Business Editors/Education Writers/Wine Writers DAVIS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 25, 2003 The "two-buck chuck" table wines, low-priced imports and consumers' increasing taste for inexpensive wines have led ......
  • Wine sales support college for Marine offspring.
  • Net proceeds from the sale of Jarhead Red Cabernet Sauvignon are donated to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation (MCSF) by producer Firestone Vineyard, Santa Barbara....
  • EDGE released 2004 Cabernet.
  • EDGE Wines, Napa Valley, released its Cabernet Sauvignon, blended from Napa Valley vineyards, retailing at $20 per bottle. For details, visit edgewines.com....
  • Jess Jackson To Retire.
  • Jess Jackson has announced his retirement as chairman of Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates as of January 1, 2001. Barbara Banke, his wife and cofounder, will take ......
  • Crescendo Hills releases first vintages.
  • Crescendo Hills Vineyards, Napa Valley, released Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Virtuoso, a Bordeaux-style blend. Crescendo Hills is the first domestic project for TGIC Importers, Inc....
  • Napa cab price drops.
  • The suggested price for Napa County Cabernet Sauvignon for this year's harvest is down almost 7%, according to recommendations by North Coast Winegrowers (NCW), a ......
  • New AVA in Washington.
  • The Rattlesnake Hills American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Washington has been approved by the TTB, the agency responsible for overseeing the wine industry. It is ......
  • Filmmaker joins wine industry. (News Briefs:...
  • John Lasseter, Academy Award-winning creator of "Toy Story," "A Bug's Life" and "Monsters, Inc.", has purchased the Justi Creek winery in Glen Ellen, Sonoma County, ......
  • Beckstoffer looks to Lake for Cabernet.
  • Andy Beckstoffer farms more than 2,000 acres of vines in Napa and Mendocino counties on California's North Coast. More than a dozen wineries use Beckstoffer ......
  • Study analyzes costs in organic vineyard.
  • A report on the costs of farming Cabernet Sauvignon organically in Napa by the University of California Cooperative Extension, the UC Davis department of agricultural ......
  • Lyre vs. GDC: which trellis is best for Cabernet?
  • Tom Rinaldi, who was the founding wine-maker at Duckhorn in Napa, and made wine there for 22 vintages, joined the Chalone Wine Group a few ......
  • Five-Buck Fred.
  • Napa vintners searching for a home for their surplus wines might want to give their ol' pal Fred Franzia a call. Bronco Wine Co. has ......
  • Lake County.
  • Red Soil, Red Grapes, but not Red Ink Land suitable for high-quality vineyards is in short supply. Affordable land in this category is rarer still....
presented by