2012 Grower Survey
Horst Caspari & Amy Montano Colorado State University Western Colorado Research Center Grand Junction, CO 81503 Ph: (970) 434-3264 Survey summary
Survey forms sent 168 Survey forms returned 100
Rate of return 60 %
Non-respondents: established growers
36 growers who provided data in previous surveys did not yet respond to the 2012 survey
• ~128 total acres (~15 % of CO total)
Another ~30 growers have not replied to any of the surveys since 2000. Definition
“Producing area”
• vineyards that were planted prior to 2011 2012 Survey results
Total vineyard area (acre) 707 Wineries 280 (40 %) Contract growers 427 (60 %)
Producing vineyard area (acre) 680 Wineries 268 (40 %) Contract growers 412 (60 %)
Average vineyard size (acre) 7.1 Total production (t) 1,652 Average yield (t/acre) 2.4 Average grape price ($/t) 1,480 Average picking costs ($/t) 225 Gross return ($/acre) 4,183
Colorado grape production by year
1,800
1,600
1,400
1,200
1,000
800 Total yield (t) Total 600
400
200
0 2011 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2012 Colorado grape growing area by year
800 Total Producing 700
600
500
400 Area (acre) 300
200
100
0 2011 2012 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Colorado grape yield per acre by year
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0 Yield (t/acre) Yield 1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0 2011 2012 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Colorado grape yield per acre by county
4.0
Mesa county Delta county 3.5 Other counties
3.0
2.5
2.0 Yield (t/acre) Yield 1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0 2011 2012 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2012 Colorado grape production by county
Other 7.2% Delta 8.4%
Mesa 84.4% Colorado total vineyard area by county
Delta Other 11.8% 14.2%
Mesa 74.1% Colorado vineyards by planting year
90
80
70
60
50
40 Area (acre)
30
20
10
0 2011 1946 1973 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2012 Best guess; based on all surveys since 2000 Is Colorado’s vineyard area shrinking?
40 New planting Removed 35
30
25
20 Area (acre) 15
10
5
0 2011 2012 2010 2009 2008 New vineyard plantings by county
70
2008-2012
60
50
40
30 Area planted (acre)
20
10
0 Delta Mesa Other Vineyard area removed by county
16
Mesa county Delta county 14 Other counties
12
10
8
6 Vineyard area removed (acre) area removed Vineyard 4
2
0 2011 2012 2010 2009 2008 Vineyard area planted or removed by county
70 65 New Removed 60
50
40 37
30 29
Area (acre) 30
20 15
10 10
0 Delta Mesa Other 2012 Colorado grape production by variety
450
400
350
300
250
200 Total yield Total yield (t) 150
100
50
0 Other Syrah Merlot Riesling Viognier CabSauv Pinot gris CabFranc Pinot Noir Chardonnay Gewürztraminer Colorado grape production by variety
Colorado grape production (2012) Viognier Pinot Noir 4.0% 3.6%
Gewürztraminer 6.3% Other 25.2%
Syrah 6.7%
Chardonnay 6.8%
CabFranc 7.4% Merlot 18.0%
CabSauv 10.7% Riesling 11.3% Colorado grape yield per acre by variety
Colorado grape yield per acre (2012) 6.0
5.0 Industry goal???
4.0
3.0 Yield (t/acre)
2.0
1.0
0.0 Other Syrah Merlot Riesling Viognier CabSauv Pinot gris Pinot Noir CabFranc Chardonnay Gewürztraminer Colorado grape growing area by variety
180 Total Producing 160
140
120
100
80 Area (acre)
60
40
20
0 Other Syrah Merlot Riesling Viognier CabSauv Pinot gris Pinot Noir CabFranc Chardonnay Gewürztraminer Colorado grape growing area by variety
Colorado total vineyard area (2012) Pinot gris Viognier 3.1% Pinot Noir 3.9% 4.1%
Gewürztraminer Other 4.6% 23.2%
CabFranc 6.3%
Syrah 6.3%
Merlot 15.2% Chardonnay 10.0%
Riesling CabSauv 11.2% 12.0% Colorado vineyard area, top 10 varieties
160 Merlot Riesling 140 CabSauv Chard CabFranc 120 Syrah Pinot noir Gewürz 100 Viognier Pinot gris
80
60 Total vineyard area vineyard (acre) Total 40
20
0 2011 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009
Best guess; based on all surveys since 2000 What has been planted in 2012?
9
8
7
6
5
4
3 Area planted (acre)
2
1
0 Other Syrah Merlot Riesling Viognier CabSauv Pinot gris Pinot Noir CabFranc Chardonnay Gewürztraminer Total plantings 2008 - 2012
60 2008-2012
50
40
30
20 Area planted (acre)
10
0 Other Syrah Merlot Riesling Viognier CabSauv Pinot gris Pinot Noir CabFranc Chardonnay Gewürztraminer Gross return per acre, 2012
Gross return per acre (2012)
$5,000
$4,000
$3,000 $5,181 $4,968 $4,950 $2,000 $4,728 $4,215 Gross return per acre $4,014 $3,913 $3,787 $3,774 $3,747 $3,475
$1,000
$- Syrah Merlot Riesling Viognier Average CabSauv Pinot gris Pinot Noir CabFranc Chardonnay Gewürztraminer Gross return per acre, 2009-2012
Gross $ per acre by year and variety $6,000 2009 2010 2011 $5,000 2012
$4,000
$3,000
$2,000
$1,000
$- Syrah Merlot Riesling Viognier Average CabSauv Pinot gris Pinot Noir CabFranc Chardonnay Gewürztraminer Average gross return per acre, 2000-2012
$4,500 Gross return per acre (2000-2012)
$4,000
$3,500
$3,000
$2,500
$2,000 $4,221 $4,084 $4,020 $3,893 $3,679 $3,384
Gross return per acre $1,500 $3,047
$1,000 $2,609 $2,165 $2,077 $2,071
$500
$- Syrah Merlot Riesling Viognier Average CabSauv Pinot gris Pinot Noir CabFranc Chardonnay Gewürztraminer 2012 Grape Grower Survey “Highlights” • Recovered from 2009 winter damage
• Merlot, the state’s leading variety, retakes first place in production
• Mediocre performance by Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling
• Pinot noir and Gewürztraminer did well
• The vineyard area removed exceeds the new area planted – two years in a row “Guesstimate” of Colorado grape growing area
Total vineyard area (acre) ~1,000 Wineries 40 % Growers 60 % Producing vineyard area (acre) 950 Wineries 40 % Growers 60 % Average vineyard size (acre) 7.5-8.0
Note: This “guesstimate” was prepared from data provided in the 1999 to 2012 surveys. A number of growers never responded to either of those surveys. Taking into account non-respondents, I estimate a total Colorado vineyard area in 2012 of ~1,000 acres. Varieties included in “Other” category
Albarino, Aurora, Barbera, Bianca, Brianna, Cabernet Crimson, Canadice, Carmenere, Carmine, Catawba, Cayuga White, Chambourcin, Chancellor, Chardonel, Chenin blanc, Concord, Corot Noir, Counoise, Cynthiana, Dolcetto, Edelweiss, Esprit, Fredonia, French Columbard, Frontenac, Frontenac Gris, Gamay Noir, Graciano, Grenache, Himrod, Isabella, La Crescent, La Crosse, Lemberger, Leon Millot, Malbec, Marechal Foch, Marquette, Montepulciano, Mourvedre, Muscat blanc, Muscat Hamburg, Muscat Ottonel, Nebbiolo, Noiret, Norton, Orange Muscat, Petit Verdot, Petite Syrah, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Meunier, Primitivo, Rkatsiteli, Rousanne, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Seyval Blanc, Souzao, St. Croix, St. Laurent, St. Pepin, Tannat, Tempranillo, Tinto Cao, Tinta Madeira, Touriga National, Traminette, Vernaccia, Vidal, Vignoles, Zinfandel, Zweigelt Acknowledgements
Thanks to
• All growers who responded to the survey
• CWIDB for funding the survey