Winegrape Outlook: Uncertainty in the Vines

According to an Ag Alert from the California Farm Bureau, it’s shaping up to be an interesting spring for California winegrape growers. In San Joaquin County, the grapes are already past bud break, and growers like Joe Valente say fungicide sprays for mildew control are underway, along with some light fertilizer as needed. Despite a dry January, recent rainfall has left enough soil moisture that most growers haven’t needed to irrigate—at least not yet.

Via an update by Valente, the bigger concern right now is the stagnant grape market. In the Lodi area, he’s seen more vineyards removed this year than ever before, with many more still unpruned—suggesting they might be abandoned or left unfarmed. Growers are asking tough questions: are consumers drinking less, spending less, or is the younger generation just not that into wine?

Valente, who also co-owns two wineries, says tariffs are a growing concern—not just for the wine sector, but for almonds and agriculture as a whole. On the tech side, autonomous tractors are showing promise, though Cal OSHA regulations and operational challenges still apply.

It’s a season marked by uncertainty—but also by resilience.