California Wine by the Numbers

The Golden State is #1 in wine produced and in the number of wineries in the U.S. It's been that way and isn't really news. What is news is the growth.

Just over ten years ago, in 2006, there were 2,447 wineries in California. In 2016 there were 4,653. Even during the Great Recession of 2008-09 the number increased, just at a slower rate. About 475 of those wineries are in Napa and about 425 in Sonoma. Next on the list, Washington, has experienced a high growth rate, but is still a distant second at 1,019 wineries.

In 2016 California shipped over $36 billion worth of wine within the U.S. Total U.S. wine exports are about $1.6 billion with 90% of that coming from CA.

If California were a country it would be fourth in worldwide wine production. The Central Valley area of San Joaquin Valley grows three-quarters of the state's wine grapes with most going into jug wines and other less expensive wines. There are over 900,000 acres of wine grapes planted in the state; 60,000 acres planted in Sonoma County and 45,000 in Napa.
  

The vastness of the state's Central Valley

 
Statewide the top varietals are Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zinfandel. In Sonoma County the top grapes are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet. Sonoma is #1 in the state with 12,000 acres of Pinot Noir planted and Napa is tops in Cabernet Sauvignon with 20,000.

Tracking Pinot Noir in Sonoma County the average price per ton for grapes went from $1,000 in 1995 to $3,250 twenty years later. During this time production grew from 13,000 to 47,000 tons. During this same time prices for Napa Cabernet went from $1,500 a ton to $6,000.


Numbers from The Wine Institute nass.usda.gov and SonomaCounty.com