A Little Less Chardonnay

Filed in archive California Wines on June 29, 2006

I can't say I'm very concerned or disappointed since Chardonnay just isn't my favorite wine, but it does make me wonder if we'll see a little less available on the market in the future or if prices might go up somewhat.

From Central Valley winegrape crop may be lower:

An early look at winegrape vineyards indicates yields could be lighter this season.

Surveyors say they see fewer winegrape clusters in Central Valley vineyards and observers in Sonoma County say the crop there looks average to a little lighter.

"I think our biggest variation is probably chardonnay, [which] is a little more variable in cluster count. Same is for zinfandel but not quite as bad. It ranges everywhere from down somewhat to probably an average crop. I think we still have good potential for an average crop," says Nick Frey, executive director of the Sonoma County Winegrape Growers Association.