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GRAPE GRO WING A Riparia Gloire rootstock block is cultivated at Brigadoon Vineyard, part of the Junction City, Ore.-based Brigadoon Wine Co. Grapevine Nurseries Booming Shortages may loom as suppliers hustle to fill demand By Paul Franson vine nurseries. "It's the largest year in memory," said John Duarte, president of Duarte Nursery in Hughson, Calif. "Sales are double what they've been in the past few years, and we'll graft 12 million vines this year." W He said that in the past, grapevines represented about 20% of his firm's sales (as did both almond and pistachio trees), but next year, viticulture may account for 35%-40% of business by dollars—even though those nut trees are in great demand. Duarte added that the nursery, California's largest, is sold to capacity and could have sold more vines if it had them. As a result, it is adding 4.5 acres of greenhouses for growing vines, a 15% increase in capacity, and plans a similar expansion next year. It's part of a two- year, 20-acre expansion project that will increase Duarte's total production capacity by 50%. Duarte's success is not atypical. Eckhard Kaesekamp, California general 44 Wines & Vines FeBRUARY 2012 ith the dramatic shift from a glut of wine- grapes to a possible shortage this year, it's not surprising that sales are booming at grape- Highlights • Grapevine nurseries report big demand and tight supplies. • Cabernet Sauvignon is the most popular winegrape variety. • Growers are heavily planting vines for red blends and sweet white wines. manager for Guillaume Nurseries in Knights Landing, Calif., also reported that sales had doubled from the previous year and lamented that they couldn't supply all demand. French- owned Guillaume is the third-largest vineyard nursery company in the world. It acquired Kaesekamp's Lake County nursery in February 2011. At Vintage Nurseries in Wasco, Calif., director of sales Dustin Hooper said the company is planting a new, 100-acre mother block with only Foundation Plant Services (FPS) 2010 Protocol Material varieties and rootstocks. John Duarte added that large wineries are seeking land to plant grapes, but they can't find suitable space due to competition from nut trees, cherries and citrus. "Farming is good across the board; the only guys being hurt are those who raise animals, largely due to the political deals diverting corn for ethanol." What's popular? John Duarte provided insight about popular varieties: "Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely back. Chardonnay is doing well on the coast, but not in the San Joaquin Valley." He added, as did Allied Grape Growers president Nat DiBuduo at a recent meeting, that growers are planting French Colombard widely once again for generic and sweet wines. During the past few years, Muscat of Alexandria and Muscat Canelli have been widely planted, but Duarte says wineries are "taking a break" to assess the impact of those plantings. He noted that Muscat of Alexandria provides enormous yields— 22 tons and up per acre, which gives a decent return at $300 to $350 per ton. Zinfandel is in demand in Lodi, Calif. "Both red and white Zin were in very short supply last year," Duarte said. In spite of