Finger Lakes Grape Prices
Reported Surprising reductions occur for in-demand white varieties
G
eneva, N.Y.—The winegrape harvest in New York's Finger Lakes region officially started Aug. 23, when
Constellation Wines received its first loads of Aurore grapes. New York requires state wineries that purchase more than 5 tons of any grape variety to publish the prices they will pay by Aug. 15 of each year. Prices for most grape varieties in the Finger Lakes changed only slightly from 2010. Where there were changes of more than 1%, white varieties outnumbered reds on the downside. For the major white vinifera varieties, Riesling was down $81 per ton to $1,362;
Chardonnay fell $64 to $1,169; and Gewürztraminer dropped $46 to $1,444.
Decrease is surprising Hans Walter-Peterson, viticulture extension specialist with the Finger Lakes Grapes Program, said he was surprised that Riesling and Pinot Gris prices were lower: Many growers had told him that both varieties are in short supply compared to buyer demand. He added that most growers called this a much better market than the past couple of years, when certain varieties went unsold, or sold for very low prices.
There were fewer price changes for the major red vinifera varieties. Pinot Noir was the biggest gainer, up $34 per ton to $1,605, while at $1,250, Cabernet Franc was down $14.
There were more decreases of greater than 1% among the white hybrids than the reds. Prices for Native American varieties were little changed.
—Hudson Cattell Wines & Vines OCTOBeR 2011 49
WineEast
Full article and price chart online. Search "Finger Lakes Aurore" on winesandvines.com.
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