Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/60007
GRAPE GRO WING suggestions that white Zin is fading, he said large plantings have been made in Madera and Fresno, Calif. "The blends, white Zin and Muscats, that's where new drinkers come from." In addition, he said that large wineries are planting niche varieties like southern Italian and Spanish grapes in the interior valley. Guillaume's general manager, Kaesekamp, added that Malbec has really picked up—from 20,000 vines in the past to 50,000 now. Muscat is hot in the valley, but not on the coast. He said that Riesling is picking up on the North Coast. He's seen no change in Merlot, while the formerly popular Pinot Gris is just holding its own. "It's already heavily planted in the valley for high tonnage. It's not a big variety on the coast." Dustin Hooper of Vintage Nurseries reinforced that growers are planting Colombard, Muscat Alexandria, Viognier and Riesling, all for sweet white wines. Barbera is popular for red blends. He also agreed that business is on an upswing. Mercier Grapevines in Vacaville, Calif., a family-owned grapevine nursery since 1890, offers dormant benchgrafts (bareroot), green vines and rootings from ENTAV-INRA, FPS and custom- clone grafting. "We have some exclusive Mercier clones such as Malbec and Carmenere," said Sebastian Traviesa. "Some growers are looking for alternative varieties to differentiate their business." At Appellation Trading Co., a negociant wine company in Napa, Calif., Paul Shakeshaft suggests little changes. "There is a need to replace about 5% to 10% of vineyards per year. Some things get delayed, but right now it is at least that busy in Napa and Sonoma," he said. "Many of the vines going in around Napa now are particularly engineered for a hotter world, and folks want to know the metrics on those choices." He added, "One varietal area that is getting wiped out is the Italian grape Sangiovese. That stuff is hard to sell." On the other hand, he is working on some China-bound projects for wineries. "The Chinese are buying Cab, Cab, Cab. More will be planted to satisfy that market." Rootstock choices Mercier's Sebastian Traviesa noted that higher vigor rootstocks such as R110 and P1103 are coming back onto the scene, but fanleaf virus is a real problem in certain areas, and 039.16 is the only choice. Wines & Vines FeBRUARY 2012 45 Hooper at Vintage said Freedom, Harmony, 1103R and 101-14 roostocks are most popular. Grey Creek Nursery in Healdsburg, Calif., sells budwood for field grafting. It claims to offer the largest selection of grafting materials. "We source materials mostly from California, but also reach out to many different states to find other varieties as needed," owner Chris Lindelof said. "Cabernet Sauvignon is very active; red varieties with lots of color are also popular. Merlot also seems to be making a little bit of a comeback—finally!" He added that floral white varieties like Muscats, Riesling and Gewurztraminer are also popular. Lindelof said that every year certified materials from the California Department of Food and Agriculture and FPS are increasingly popular. The fact that viruses such as grapevine leafroll disease are moving via vectors other than propagation has heightened growers' awareness. About 90% of the materials that Grey Creek supplies to the industry are CDFA/FPS certified.