Greetings. It is time for the Early Summer Update for 2009.

If you are not a regular follower of the news within the wine industry, there has been a lot going on that is certain to affect harvest and availabilty this fall. Fortunately, if we were to speculate on the market right now, it is plausible that for the wine grape consumer, 2009 is going to be a terrific year.

All over California there appears to be a very good crop set, some areas heavier than others. For most of the vineyards we work with that only means a bit more thinning than usual to get to the target tons per acre that ensures that best wine grape quality. Of course, then there are those vineyards - the select vineyards that we obtain wine grapes from whose crop is managed naturally by the terrain in which the vines grow. Take, for example, the naturally rocky Koch Vineyard in Suisun Valley.

As opposed to last fall season, which saw a fair amount of grape shatter as a result of spiking temps at crop set, we are only seeing a bit of that this season.

On the demand front, there are very interesting dynamics this season. With the demand for high-end wines down, the demand for the $10-$20 bottle up, and winery cash-flow evermore in question, emphasis on buying by wineries has been placed on some of the more economical wine growing areas. That may have the affect of a narrowing of consumer pricing between areas like the Central Valley, Lodi, and some of the more notably premium wine growing areas. To put it another way, as of this point and time, it appears that some of the more traditionally sought after growing areas may present some good buys this season and excellent consumer opportunity.

We are a month or so away from a formal announcement of this season's offerings, but we expect that we will continue to build off of last year's broadened selections. That said, we are actively working with vineyard prospects and expect some exciting new options for this upcoming season. Please keep a close watch on the juicegrape.com web site for our grape offerings and other special information as the season draws closer.