Key findings from the latest BC Wine Grape crop report. Note the metrics for the 2018 Vintage are based on responses from 84% of the BC Mainland wineries. This is a significant improvement over 2017 when only 60% provided data. The data collected is only for the BC Mainland wineries.
Annual Crop Assessment
The 2018 vintage was an average growing year, with an average bud-break and slightly early bloom, followed by normal summer heat tempered by the smoke cover. Growing Degree Days (GDD) for all areas were close to 20-year averages and harvest timing was average, with yields slightly above average, and excellent quality reported for most varieties 1.
You can find individual winemaker comments on the 2018 Vintage in these earlier posts – Winemaker’s Thoughts on BC Harvest 2018 and Winemaker’s thoughts on BC Vintage 2018 – Take 2
Tonnage Data
The graph below shows the BC Wine Grape tonnages that were harvested in 2018 for the top 13 varieties. Merlot for red grapes and Pinot Gris for white grapes retained their number one tonnage positions as for 2017.
The following pie Charts shows how the tons were distributed over the BC Mainland Wine Regions. 48% of the wine grape crop was grown in the Oliver Region.
Pricing
The following table shows how prices have increased by around 7% on average over 2017.
Sauvignon Blanc saw the highest price increase at 13%.
Washington State Grape Prices
Washington State’s wine grape harvest grew by 14 % in 2018, for a grand total of 261,000 tons crushed. This was the second-largest harvest in Washington’s history, behind the record-breaking total of 270,000 tons in 2016 2.
The average price per ton of $1,213 is the highest in recent years, $7 above 2017. The most expensive grape was Petit Verdot, at $1,675, followed by Mourvedre, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Grenache Noir, and then Cabernet Sauvignon at $1,505 per ton.
In 2018, BC grape prices continued to be significantly higher than Washington State.
For example, Washington’s Cabernet Sauvignon sold for $US1,505 per ton on average compared to $CDN3,064 for BC grapes. This is 50% higher than the Washington State grape price (Exchange Rate of 75 US cents per $CDN). British Columbia grape prices were 81% higher than Washington for Sauvignon Blanc and 64 % higher for Merlot.
Conclusions
- The average 2018 British Columbia wine grape price was 7% higher than in 2017.
- Sauvignon Blanc saw the highest price increase of 13%.
- Merlot was the highest value varietal and 37% of the red grape crop.
- 48% of the wine grapes were grown in the Oliver Region.
You can find a similar analysis for the 2017 wine grape crop here.
Acknowledgement
A special thank you to the BC Wine Grape Council for providing the detailed crop metrics for 2018.
References
- Annual Crop Assessment – 2018 Vintage prepared by the BC Wine Grape Council
- Washington State wine grape harvest grows 14% in 2018