Trending @AZWINE Lifestyle The Arizona Wine Industry Statewide Vineyard Survey Unveiled Story, Photos and Graphic courtesy of Arizona Wine Growers Association
R
ecently, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service published the first-ever comprehensive statistics on Arizona’s wine industry. The report, which was sponsored by the Arizona Wine Growers Association, consisted of a full census of all known Arizona vineyards, which included 96 potential operations statewide. Of these, 64 reported vines in the ground, 26 had no vines, and four did not participate (a 94 percent response rate). The USDA’s report gives us the premier look at the size, scope and production metrics of Arizona’s wine industry. Here are some of the interesting parts we took from the document. In Arizona, Willcox is the king of grape production:
Arizona’s total harvest is 1,370 tons of grapes annually. According to the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau’s wine statistics summary, this volume of fruit produced about 61,000 cases of wine in 2013. The USDA puts the average bulk value of Arizonagrown fruit at $1,625 per ton ($0.81 per pound). Thus, the value of Arizona’s bulk harvest is about $2.3 million per year. According to the USDA, Arizona’s total vineyard acreage (planted) is 950 acres. Of this, the most widely planted grape varietal is Cabernet Sauvignon (108 acres), followed by Syrah/Shiraz (92 acres).
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Willcox contains nearly 68 perecent (two thirds) of the state’s planted vineyard acreage. The Sonoita/Elgin AVA contains 21 percent, and northern Arizona’s Verde Valley makes up nearly 8 percent. No matter how you slice it, southern Arizona, and Willcox in particular, is the undisputed king of wine grape production in the Grand Canyon state. According to the USDA, Arizona’s total vineyard acreage (planted) is 950 acres. Of this, the most widely planted grape varietal is Cabernet Sauvignon (108 acres), followed by Syrah/Shiraz (92 acres). Statewide, in terms of new vines going in the ground, the most common vines being planted are Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec.
In fact, the following varietals make up nearly half of all the new vines going into the ground in Arizona: Cabernet Sauvignon (10.6 percent), Malbec (9.4 percent), Sauvignon Blanc (9.4 percent), Tempranillo (9.4 percent) or Sangiovese (7.7 perecent). In terms of future growth, nearly half of all the new vineyard acreage planned for development is in the Willcox region of southeastern Arizona. More new acreage is planned for the Willcox area than for the rest of the state combined. By far, the most common wine produced in Arizona is Syrah/ Shiraz (13.8 percent). Other common wines made here are Grenache Noir (13.1 percent), Cabernet Sauvignon (7.7 percent), Mourvedre (7.6 percent) and Sangiovese (7.6 percent), followed by Zinfandel and Tempranillo (5.8 percent), Merlot (5.3 percent), Petit Sirah (4.8 percent) and Viognier (4.4 percent).
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