The International Organisation of Vine & Wine (OIV) has released its preliminary estimates of global wine production in 2023: the mid-range estimate is 241.1 million hectolitres, 7% down versus the below-average volume of 2022 and, it says, the lowest output since 1961. We suspect this mid-range figure may be a little on the high side, as the OIV used for their Italy figure an early-September estimate issued before the lightness of tonnages in central and southern parts of the country became clear.  While the “smallest output in 60 years” statement makes for good media headlines, the OIV concedes that it has occurred in a context “where global consumption is declining and stocks are high in many regions of the world”, adding hopefully, “the expected low production could bring equilibrium to the world market”.  We have seen that Italy’s short crop has stimulated some bulk-wine buying activity there and in neighbouring Spain, with s

Yesterday marked the official end of the growing season and what a season it was, amiright?? 2023 has proven to be polarizing. For some growers and winemakers, this was a remarkable year for quality, and others are just thankful to have crop insurance. Let’s take a look at why this is. I wrote about how 2023 was shaping up back in July when I looked at how Growing Degree Days (GDD) were stacking up compared to other years. GDDs are typically calculated by taking the average of the daily minimum and maximum temperature and subtracting a base number, in this case 10°C (50°F). Back in July, most places sampled were around 300 GDDs behind previous years. After rerunning the temperature data this week, it looks like the season never caught up. Here's a look at Growing Degree Days in Alexander Valley  The difference in some locations was extreme. At this vineyard in Eastern Paso Robles, this year was between 300 and 800 GDDs behind!  Early season woes Back in July

The 2023 Sonoma County winegrape harvest has officially begun!  Just after midnight, crews at Ledbetter Farms’ Preston Vineyards in Russian River Valley started picking pinot noir grapes to be used for sparkling wine. The first pick yielded 50 tons destined for Rack & Riddle in Healdsburg.  Cheers to the start of another bountiful harvest in Sonoma County! Wishing you all a happy and healthy harvest. Please send us any harvest photos and updates to info@sonomawinegrape.org or tag us in any social media posts. We love to follow along!