Vineyards advanced; grape and bulk markets stalled
The topsy-turvy start to the growing season in California continued through April into early May, with the first quarter’s unseasonably high temperatures giving way to some cooler than normal conditions and heavy rainfall in some areas. A lack of winter lows conducive to dormancy, followed by the changeable spring conditions as budburst, shoot growth and flowering moved underway, has led to highly variable vine development – sometimes on the same row or even the same vine, let alone between vineyards or areas.
This month’s report relays the latest observations on vineyard health, development and timing, and seeks to better define what is likely to be as important a factor in the 2026 harvest’s final size – farming minimally: What is the difference between mothballing a vineyard and resting it? If growers with uncontracted vines needed further incentive to ease up on farming this year, the Iran war has provided it: Fuel surcharges and, most of all, fertilizer and sulphur prices are on the rise.
Meanwhile, supply – or rather, holding excess supply – continues to be something universally feared on the bulk wine and grape markets, with buyers only making moves when certain of their requirements. As uncertainty pervades the industry, suffusing every consideration and action, this means slow bulk wine and grape markets moving forward only incrementally. This month’s report details the activity that has occurred and at what pricing, while updates from SipSource and Saxco set out the latest on US wholesaler depletion numbers and packaging trends respectively.
In recent months, Ciatti’s Global Market Report has been relaying how demand for current-vintage wines on the southern French bulk market was boosted by recent smaller harvests – owing to a state-subsidized uprooting program and, primarily, Mother Nature – and a distillation program removing older wines from the market. The free market has had a similar result in California as state intervention has in France: A smaller industry producing less. (On April 30th the CDFA’s California Grape Crush Final Report confirmed the state’s 2025 winegrape harvest at 2.626 million tons.) This month the California Report continues its series drilling down into the state’s bulk inventory by vintage year, this time surveying each of the main varietals.
Read the full Ciatti California Report for April
Bulk wine suppliers are invited to list their 2025 wines with us and send in samples, and ensure they have their 2024 wines on our inventory list, so we are able to harness buyer interest as it arises.
Grape growers are recommended to inform us of the grapes they may have available next year, in 2026, so we can work to match-up suppliers with buyers.
Please contact Mark (+1 415 630 2548 / mark@ciatti.com), Michael (+1 415 630 2541 / michael@ciatti.com) or the Ciatti Customer Account Team (cargroup@ciatti.com).