Good grape crop expected from Coachella Valley

California’s Coachella Valley table grape growers should produce a typical crop this season, provided the weather holds.

“It’s been perfect growing weather,” Rob Spinelli, sales manager for Anthony Vineyards, Coachella, said in late March. “It hasn’t been too hot yet, and it hasn’t been cold.”

It’s not unusual for a cold snap to materialize in February or early March, he said, but that didn’t happen this year.

Daytime temperatures were in the mid- to high 80s.

“We haven’t gotten to the low 90s yet,” Spinelli said, though that likely will happen in April.

“If it stays in the high 80s to mid-90s with cooler nights – in the 50s – we’ll definitely have some nice growing weather.”

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The crop seemed to be running about four to five days earlier than last year, he said. The 2021 harvest began on May 20. This year, picking could start as early as mid-May.

The harvest will kick off with red grapes then move into organic red grapes followed by conventional and organic green grapes about five days later.

Volume at Anthony Vineyards should be similar to or a bit higher than last year.

The company has a large organic grape program and also has planted some varieties that will come on during late June, Spinelli said. Those offerings will include Sweet Globe, Autumncrisp and the high-flavor Candy Snap and Candy Dream table grapes.

There had been no reports of pests or diseases as of March. Spinelli said it was too early to predict the size of the grapes.

Despite the productive season shaping up, the Coachella Valley table grape crop isn’t what it used to be.

In 2016, the crop value was approximately $146 million on 7,369 acres, according to the Coachella Valley Water District 2020 Crop Report. In 2020, the value dropped to $74 million on 5,511 acres.

Grapes had long been ranked No. 1 in terms of crop value in the Coachella Valley but lost that spot to dates in 2019, when dates were valued at $93.7 million, edging out grapes’ $92.3 million valuation.

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Spinelli attributed most of that drop to increased shipments from south of the border.

“You’re competing with Mexico, where sometimes they’re selling below what our costs are,” he said. “It’s not profitable. You’ve got to make a decision.”

Over the past five to 10 years, growers have pulled out grapes and planted other commodities as land values increase and the cost of labor rises.

Only a few grape growers remain in the Coachella Valley.

At one time, the desert growing region may have accounted for 15% of California’s table grape production, said John Pandol, director of special projects for Delano, Calif.-based Pandol Bros. Inc.

But land in the region has become very expensive, if it’s available at all, and grapes require an enormous amount of labor for only about a five-week period.

Also, Mexican growers “got the jump on new varieties,” preventing Coachella Valley producers from growing some of the most popular new table grape offerings, Pandol said.

“We’re still surviving,” Spinelli said. “There are still some people out there who would rather have U.S. product.”
The company also sees a bigger push from retailers to help local growers, he said.