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36 WINES&VINES November 2016 though thankfully that trend seems to be abating somewhat. According to Remy, the housing crisis of 2008 took a huge toll on the logging industry, as new construction came to a screeching halt along with de- mand for building materials. The abrupt change forced many saw mills out of business. "To restart the process and have these people in the supply chain—from the forest to the producers to the factories—took some time and was very difficult," Remy ex- plained of the post-recession years. "You had to pay much more to get wood. Compa- nies went bankrupt." Around the same time, a growing number of consumers took an interest in craft spirits such as Bourbon, which requires the use of new white oak barrels for labeling purposes. Competition for barrel staves became fierce, and at the peak Remy said stave prices shot up 25% per year. Now, after five years of volatility in the price of American oak, the market has started to soften, Remy said. "It's increased above the rate of inflation these last years and has been very difficult for us to follow, but it seems better now." WHAT'S AHEAD As 2016 nears its end, wine industry suppli- ers are looking to the year ahead with opti- mism. More than 80% of survey respondents expect the wine industry to grow in the com- ing year—albeit slowly. With 2016 wine grape yields in Califor- nia expected to surpass the 3.7 million tons reported in 2015, bulk wine sales should loosen up and help balance fears of a short supply heard earlier this year. As winemakers clean up from harvest and settle must into barrels and tanks, the fu- ture looks bright. 2016 SUPPLIER SURVEY Divergan F – PVPP The Revolutionaries Behind Wine's Visionaries Malolactic Bacteria, Non-Saccharomyces Yeasts Fermentation Nutrients Membrane Cartridge Filters, Laboratory Consumables OenoFoss - FTIR Analytical Instrumentation Filter Sheets, Lenticular Cartridges, Cellulose Pre-Coat Fibers Cross Flow Filters, RO Systems Liquid and Granular Enological Enzymes Oak-Mor ® / Oak Avantage ® Chips and Granular Oak CO 2 Analytical Instrumentation At Gusmer, we know the wine you create is just as unique as you are. Portable Ozone Systems H 2 S Preventing Saccharomyces Yeasts Lysozyme For over 90 years, Gusmer has oered a full range of innovative enological tools that enable your creative expression through unique and interesting wines. Equipment, analytical instruments and processing aids brought to you from leading suppliers in the wine industry, all backed by strong Gusmer technical support. The options for expression have never been greater and the tools have never been better – so go ahead, be unique, express yourself. For more information, contact Gusmer today. West Coast : 81 M Street Fresno, CA 93721 Tel: 559.485.2692 Midwest : 1401 Ware Street Waupaca, WI 54981 Tel: 715.258.5525 The Wine Lab TM : 640-D Airpark Road Napa, CA 94558 Tel: 707.224.7903 East Coast : 1165 Globe Avenue Mountainside, NJ 07092 Tel: 908.301.1811 Gusmer Sonoma Store : 9025 Old Redwood Hwy, Ste C Windor, CA 95492 Tel: 707.836.1056 NEW www.gusmerwine.com sales@gusmerenterprises.com French Oak TRENDS AFFECTING VENDORS Which wine sales trends are most affecting your business? Premiumization 20% Prolifera- tion of new brands 20% Expanding direct-to- consumer 20% Alternative packaging 16% Emphasis on sustain- ability 13% Other 12%