08/23/07 Crop Estimate

Crop estimate. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. Wine grapes all over the northwest are getting closer to a good harvest. And it is about this time that the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers does their annual crop estimate and according to executive director, Vicky Scharlau, it's a good one. SCHARLAU: Well lucky for the wine connoisseurs of the world the world the Washington wine crop is looking healthy and wonderful and it looks to be another vintage year. I often find that Vicky is less than enthusiastic about wine grapes as you can tell from her voice. She explains the crop estimate. SCHARLAU: This is not a harvest estimate but it's a look at what the crop size is prior to going into the thinning and pruning off right before harvest. So we're looking at 136-thousand tons which is up from 123-thousand tons last year in terms of the crop estimate. She says this is an important tool for the wineries. SCHARLAU: This is a management tool that the wineries and the growers can utilize to see what's on the vine, which variety might be running a little heavy or a little light so they really can manage their harvest since we are just on the verge of harvest. Thanks to a fantastic growing season, everyone is excited about this years crop and the wine it will yield. SCHARLAU: Oh the viticulturists we're really pleased this year mostly with the weather. We're looking at grape clusters that are a little bit smaller berries, lower cluster weights but excellent fruit flavor. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.