Is a cautious transition underway?
The 2026 harvest is in its closing stages – up to six weeks early in some places – and this month’s Ciatti California Report sets out timing, yield and the grape market’s response by region and variety.
Despite potentially the smallest crush in 30 years, one which follows on from sub-3.0-million-ton harvests in 2024 and 2025, the industry remains oversupplied relative to need, and buyers of grapes and bulk wine have been continuing to act very conservatively, with lack of cashflow and credit squeezing their room for maneuver. Late payment is rife, increasing the general credit crunch. There have been numerous recent reports of asset sales and foreclosures as operators struggle for solvency, and it seems inevitable that any turnaround in industry fortunes will come too late for some.
Amid the industry gloom, we have recently detected a number of tentative, positive market developments, and these – five in total – are set out in this month’s report. Is a cautious transition underway?
With the important OND retail period for case-good sales now underway, and the start of the 2027 grape-buying campaign on the horizon in the new year, the next six months feel like a critical juncture in determining bulk wine and grape need – and, in turn, the industry’s financial health – through calendar 2027 and beyond.
As we move off the 2026 harvest, into whatever the rest of this year and the start of the next one holds, good communication is more important than ever.
We encourage bulk-wine suppliers to register their new 2026-vintage wines with us and send in samples – especially of whites – so we can meet buyer need as soon as it arises. Please also register any 2025-vintage availability. Grape suppliers are urged to register their potential 2027-vintage availability, enabling us to find buyers for the fruit as early as possible, providing some farming certainty moving into the new year. Contact the Ciatti Customer Account Team at cargroup@ciatti.com . Last-minute buyers of 2026 grapes, and buyers of 2027 grapes, should reach out to our broker team . Buyers of 2025 and 2026 bulk wines are recommended to signal their needs so we can provide samples as soon as possible. |
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Don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions you have: As always, the Ciatti team stands ready to draw on its many decades of combined wine industry experience to provide help and advice.