SACRAMENTO, Nov. 23, 2020 – Many California winegrape growers in areas affected by wildfire smoke may wonder how grape prices and tonnage will be reported for the 2020 Grape Crush Report. All California processors who crush grapes should have received a Grape Crush Report questionnaire, which was mailed in October by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)-Division of Marketing Services-Agricultural Statistics Branch.
For some processors, filling out this year’s questionnaire may be more complicated due to wildfires and smoke affected grapes. Some processors who were uncertain about the quality status of smoke affected winegrapes worked with growers to adjust terms for delivery, crush and payment. These transactions may differ from historical practice and processors may have questions about how to report tonnage and prices paid.
In situations involving smoke affected winegrapes, processors should refer to CDFA’s frequently asked questions (FAQ) document – How to Report Smoke Affected Grapes. The FAQs address various scenarios processors may have encountered in dealing with potentially smoke affected fruit. The document and other information related to the Grape Crush Report can be found at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/mkt/grapecrush.html.
“The Grape Crush Report is extraordinarily important to growers and wineries, and it’s essential that information from the 2020 crush is reported timely and accurately,” California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) President John Aguirre said.
CAWG urges every processor of winegrapes to complete and return their survey promptly. Completed questionnaires are due back to CDFA no later than Jan. 8, 2021.
