(Vinex) - Californian grape growers without contracts in place are struggling to sell their crops, despite the health of the overall wine business.  

This is according to Jeff Bitter, president of the Allied Grape Growers who told Wine Business that the ”spot market is down almost across the board, in all regions and all varieties.” 

This is being driven by two factors, he claimed, namely last year’s good sized crop, which was 10% bigger than the average of the previous four years, and over-ambitious sales projections from the 2016 – 2018 sales years, which has resulted in a slow build of inventory ahead of last year’s plentiful crop.   It is likely that some grapes will remain unpicked and stay on the vine this year, Bitter said.