CALIFONIA ANTICIPATING EXCELLENT HARVEST

California winemakers predict the 2005 Wine Harvest to be a success with high quality and quantity. The State Agriculture officials estimated the harvest at 3.15 million tons of wine type grapes in October with a 10-15% increase from the norm, making it the second largest crop ever for California. The weather provided a cool, long growing season perfect for developing grapes with “good maturity and flavors, with sugar levels coming in slightly lower than past vintages,” said Robert Steinhauer, consulting viticulturist for Foster’s Wine Estates Americas. “It was also a slow ripening season that contributed to the quality of the fruit, and the resulting wines should have elegance and balance.” The early release white wines for 2005 will be available in February and March while most of the reds will be sent out in 2007. “Though global competition is fierce on the retail wine shelves, the excellence and large size of this 2005 vintage is setting the stage for continued expansion of the California wine industry,” said Bobby Koch. California wine makes up 64% share in the U.S. market.