(Wines&Vines) - The numbers are in for the 2015 harvest, but Washington state wineries and grapegrowers are already starting to prune vines in anticipation of the 2016 harvest—and ongoing expansion.

The annual gathering of the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers (WAWGG) saw more than 2,000 registrants and 150 exhibitors come together to meet suppliers and get a read on where the industry is headed following a light and early harvest. 

Cabernet Sauvignon: state grape?

The Washington State Wine Commission and National Agricultural Statistics Service issued their annual wine grape report Feb. 8, indicating that the 2015 crop was down 2%. The drop from 227,000 tons in 2014 to 222,000 tons in 2015 was driven by a 10,000-ton decline in white wine varieties. Riesling alone was down 6,400 tons, while the slack was picked up by Cabernet Sauvignon, which increased 5,200 tons.

The gain once more crowned Cabernet Sauvignon the king of Washington state grapes, a title it first earned in 2013 as it overtook Riesling on the back of aggressive plantings that have continued to accelerate.

Cabernet Sauvignon has been the variety of choice for new projects on Red Mountain and elsewhere, with the key limitation to growth in volumes this past season being dry, hot weather that was widely expected to put a dent in crop volumes, though the impact wasn’t known until this week.

Open tank space

While new plantings might have been expected to boost this year’s crush, industry sources told Wines & Vines this week that tank vacancies are averaging 11%.

On the trade show floor at WAWGG, this translated into fewer inquiries for tanks even as tools to manage the year’s fruit and the potential for high alcohol levels became hot topics.

One exhibitor commented that the concentration of flavors in smaller berries and the potential for higher alcohols from sugar-rich fruit may not short wine production, however. As Washington State University viticulture professor Markus Keller quipped in 2009, water is the answer when grapes produce too concentrated a juice: “Dilution is the solution.”

Yet the lack of inquiries is likely a temporary lull; one WAWGG exhibitor expects tank orders to surge in 2017 as the 2016 harvest restores confidence and delivers a clear and present need for capacity.

Moreover, development plans continue.