The 2019 crush totaled 4,114,672 tons, down 8.7 percent from the 2018 crush of 4,506,010 tons. Red wine varieties accounted for the largest share of all grapes crushed, at 2,157,061 tons, down 11.9 percent from 2018. The 2019 white wine variety crush totaled 1,762,085 tons, down 3.9 percent from 2018. Tons crushed of raisin type varieties totaled 61,056, down 26.0 percent from 2018, and tons crushed of table type varieties totaled 134,470, down 5.6 percent from 2018.
The Grape Crush Report includes the total number of tons crushed for concentrate production. In determining grape tonnage crushed for concentrate production, each processor was required to report the estimated equivalent tons of grapes crushed for grape concentrate. For the 2019 season, this total was 409,307 tons, 9.9 percent of the 2019 grape crush total. This report provides only the aggregate figure for grapes crushed for concentrate production and does not include information by district, type, or variety.
The 2019 average price of all varieties was $811.04, down 2.5 percent from 2018. Average prices for the 2019 crop by type were as follows: red wine grapes, $1,019.56, nearly the same as 2018; white wine grapes, $589.54, down 7.2 percent from 2018; raisin grapes, $245.05, down 18.9 percent; and table grapes, $262.66, up 36.8 percent.
Leading Grape Varieties and Districts
In 2019, Chardonnay continued to account for the largest percentage of the total crush volume with 15.6 percent. Cabernet Sauvignon accounted for the second leading percentage of crush with 14.1 percent. Thompson Seedless, the leading raisin grape variety crushed for 2019, was only 1.1 percent of the total crush.
District 13, (Madera, Fresno, Alpine, Mono, Inyo Counties; and Kings and Tulare Counties north of Nevada Avenue (Avenue 192)), had the largest share of the State’s crush, at 1,307,542 tons. The average price per ton in District 13 was $301.10.
Grapes produced in District 4 (Napa County) received the highest average price of $5,769.31 per ton, up 3.4 percent from 2018. District 3 (Sonoma and Marin counties) received the second highest return of $2,845.92, up 1.0 percent from 2018. The 2019 Chardonnay price of $912.72 was down 6.0 percent from 2018 and the Cabernet Sauvignon price of $1,769.32 was up 5.1 percent from 2018. The 2019 average price for Zinfandel was $583.42, down 2.7 percent from 2018, while the Pinot Noir average price was down 6.3 percent from 2018 at $1,570.59 per ton.
The entire Grape Crush Report is available online in both PDF and spreadsheet format at www.nass.usda.gov/ca.