By TIM HEARDEN

Capital Press

SACRAMENTO – Ideal growing conditions were the key reason California’s 2012 grape crush totaled a record high of nearly 4.4 million tons, a wine industry expert said.

A light crop in 2011 gave the vines some needed rest, and favorable weather was conducive to lots of juicy grapes, explained Nat DiBuduo, president of the Fresno-based Allied Grape Growers and a California Association of Winegrape Growers board member.

“Coming off a light crop, the vines were ready to go,” DiBuduo said. “This was a big crop, and the wineries took every pound of it. I think that bodes well … We’re going to have some good California wine made from California grapes this year.”

Last year’s crush was up 13 percent from the 2011 crush of 3.87 million tons, and 1 percent larger than the previous record-high 2005 crush, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service office here.

Red wine varieties accounted for the largest share of grapes crushed at nearly 2.3 million tons, while the crush of white wine varieties totaled 1.7 million tons, according to NASS. Both were significant increases from 2011.

The average price per ton for all varieties last year reached a record $737.61, signaling that demand hasn’t let up since a reduced supply in 2011 pushed prices up. Napa County grapes received the highest average price of $3.565 per ton, while the San Joaquin Valley and adjacent mountain regions produced the most grapes, NASS reported.

With U.S. wine exports enjoying a steep upward trend in recent years, the record crush couldn’t have come at a better time, said Gladys Horiuchi, spokeswoman for the San Francisco-based Wine Institute.

“We think it’s great,” she said. “We need the wine and the grapes, and it’s great quality.”

Among varieties last year, Chardonnay accounted for the largest percentage of the crush volume with 16.8 percent, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon with 11.3 percent. The 2012 Chardonnay price of $849 was up 13 percent from 2011, and the Cabernet Sauvignon price of $1,385 was up 20 percent from the previous year, according to NASS.

Online

NASS 2012 Grape Crush Report: http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/California/Publications/Grape_Crush/Final/index.asp