2009 Top Grape Growers
Welcome to the 2009 edition of American/Western Fruit Grower’s Top Grape Growers report. We survey the nation’s largest grape growing operations annually for inclusion in this report, and the list is ranked according to 2008 acreage owned or leased by one company that is responsible for maintaining it.
In addition to the 2008 acreage, the list includes acreage changes from last year. Total, there was a net decrease of 4,666 acres for all the companies on the list. Farmland Management Services in Turlock, CA, # 20 on our list, had the largest increase, gaining 1,321 acres since last year.
Water Management
The current drought conditions in California mean water conservation is top of mind for growers across the region, and our Top Grape Growers are no exception.
One grower, Robert Abercrombie of Trinchero Family Estates in St. Helena, CA, # 6 on our list, shed some light on what his operation is doing to conserve water.
For the last five years, the company has been involved with Lodi Rules, a certified sustainable winegrape growing program that focuses on irrigation.
“At Trinchero Family Estates, soil moisture monitoring is obtained through neutron probe readings, which are taken once a week during the growing season, and we have neutron probes strategically placed at all of our vineyards,” Abercrombie says. “Neutron probes measure the amount of water in the soil to a depth of 5 feet. This information, along with the rainfall and ET (evapotranspiration) we track at each of our vineyards, helps us make good decisions on when to irrigate and how much to irrigate. Our goal is to give the vines just enough water to ripen the crop through reduced deficit irrigation and reduce the amount of excess vegetation, which is the result of over-irrigation.”
In addition, Trinchero Family Estates uses pressure bombs in some of its vineyards to measure the amount of water stress a plant is under. The operation also evaluates its irrigation equipment regularly to ensure efficiency. “We have had pumps rebuilt because of poor efficiency from pump tests,” Abercrombie says. “Emitter output is measured annually, and we also tear into a few emitters to see what’s going on in them. This has saved water and electricity, which is what we strive to achieve.”
Top Grape Growers |
|||||||
Rank
|
Company Name |
Year Founded
|
Grape Acreage
|
Crops Grown
|
Total Acreage
|
2008 Rank (Acreage Change) | |
1
|
Bronco Wine Company, CA | 1973 | 35,000* | Winegrapes | 35,000 | 1 (+300) | |
2
|
Gallo Vineyards, CA |
1933
|
15,000* | Winegrapes |
15,000
|
2 (-8,000) | |
3
|
Beringer Vineyards, CA |
1876
|
9,590* | Winegrapes | 9,590 | 3 (n/c) | |
4
|
Monterey Pacific, CA |
1992
|
7,846 | Winegrapes, Lemons | 7,952 | 4 (+459) | |
5
|
Vino Farms, CA |
1973
|
7,353* | Winegrapes |
7,353
|
5 (n/c) | |
6
|
Trinchero Family Estates, CA |
1948
|
6,500 | Winegrapes | 6,500 | 6 (n/c) | |
7
|
Delicato Family Vineyards, CA |
1924
|
6,400 | Winegrapes | 6,400 | 8 (+500) | |
8
|
Giumarra Vineyards, CA |
1930
|
6,400 | Table Grapes | 10,000 | 7 (n/c) | |
9
|
Kautz Farms, CA | 1948 | 5,800 | Winegrapes, Cherries |
5,860
|
9 (n/c) | |
10
|
Sun World International, CA | 1976 | 5,406 | Table Grapes, Stone Fruit |
7,104
|
10 (+406) | |
11
|
Delano Farms, CA | 1989 | 5,000* | Table Grapes |
5,000
|
10 (n/c) | |
12
|
Scheid Vineyards, CA | 1972 | 4,800 | Winegrapes |
4,800
|
13 (+150) | |
13
|
Creekside Land Company, CA | 1996 | 4,500 | Winegrapes |
5,100
|
15 (+500) | |
14
|
Anthony Vineyards, CA |
1972
|
4,400 | Table Grapes |
4,400
|
14 (+200) | |
15
|
J & L Farms, CA |
1990
|
4,000 | Table Grapes |
4,000
|
— | |
15
|
Sun Pacific Farming, CA |
1969
|
4,000 | Table Grapes | 10,000 | — | |
17
|
Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, WA |
1986
|
3,951 | Winegrapes | 3,951 | 19 (+951) | |
18
|
Beckstoffer Vineyards, CA |
1970
|
3,811 | Winegrapes | 3,811 | 16 (+301) | |
19
|
Lucich Farms, CA |
1974
|
3,500* | Table Grapes, Pistachios |
6,000
|
17 (n/c) | |
20
|
Farmland Management Services, CA |
1986
|
3,338 |
Winegrapes, Almonds, Walnuts, Pistachios, Apples, Pears, Prunes, Cherries
|
30,073 | 24 (+1,321) | |
21
|
Stokes Farms, CA |
1954
|
3,255 |
Winegrapes, Pears, Cherries
|
4,945
|
18 (n/c) | |
22
|
Valley Farm Management, CA |
1973
|
2,800 | Winegrapes | 4,945 | 20 (n/c) | |
23
|
Gerawan Farming, CA |
1938
|
2,787 | Winegrapes, Juice Grapes, Table Grapes, Stone Fruit | 9,002 | 10 (-2,220) | |
24
|
Premiere Entities, c/o Westchester Group, CA |
1986
|
2,376 | Winegrapes, Almonds, Pistachios, Cherries, Apples | 12,705 | 21 (-4) | |
25
|
Lent-Burden Farming, CA |
1993
|
2,360 | Winegrapes, Almonds, Walnuts | 6,232 | 25 (+470) | |
*estimated acreage n/c = no change |