W38: Weekly Grape Insights
United States
California's Grape Season Could End Early This Year in the US
Grape growers in the Central Valley of California expect an early end to their season this year because of the multiple heat waves hitting the fields, allowing an early harvest. The season is forecasted to end in the first half of November. Producers are planning to store and conserve as much supply as possible to keep up with the end-of-the-year demand.
The Harvest of Californian Autumn King Grapes Starts in W38
Autumn King grape is a green seedless variety with large-sized fruit ranging from 14/16 to 1 1/8. The harvest of this variety usually starts in late September in California, but this year the harvest will begin in W38 due to the high temperatures the state has faced. For week 38, the EXW price of Autumn King grapes US1 Grade stands at USD 25.45 per 19lb box.
Early Harvesting for Wine Grapes in Napa and Sonoma, US
Due to long hot days and cool nights, the wine grape harvest in Sonoma Valley has been pushed early and ahead of the harvest in Napa Valley for the first time. A farmer in Sonoma Valley reports her 15-acre vineyard began harvesting Pinot Noir grapes for the sparkling wine sector on July 29th, the earliest she has ever harvested. The usual harvest season is mid-August to mid-November, and this year it appears to be late July to late October. In W38, prices seem to be returning to pre-pandemic levels at USD 3,802/Ton for 2018 Pinot Noir grapes, USD 3,949/Ton for 2019 Pinot Noir grapes, USD 3,147/Ton for 2020 Pinot Noir grapes, and USD 4,150/Ton for 2021 Pinot Noir grapes.
Spain
W38: Spanish Grape Prices Increase as Volumes Decrease Towards End of Season
The availability of Spanish seedless grapes continues to decrease gradually in W38 while market demand remains very strong. The white and black seedless varieties are starting to become scarce as the 2022 campaign nears its end. Shortly the only remaining varieties will be the red ones, but this year it lacks colouration since the thermal difference between day and night has not been wide enough to achieve the desired colouration. This thermal difference must be at least 12 degrees Celsius between day and night for the correct evolution.
W38 could be the last week in which export companies ship grapes overseas via ship. After W38, most exporters will focus on the European market, to minimise the quality risks towards the end of the campaign. Due to the decreased supply of seedless grapes, the price trend is upwards for W38 with prices ranging between USD 2.20-2.60/kg EXW Spain depending on varieties, qualities, etc.
Turkey
Most of the 2022 Turkish Crimson Seedless Grape Harvest Is Complete
About 70% of the 2022 Turkish grape harvest has been completed and dispatched to the buyers. The most interested buyers thus far in 2022 were from Russia and Europe which shaped the average price of the remaining Crimson Seedless grapes at around USD 1.45/kg FOB as of W38.
Netherlands
Dutch Seedless Grape Market Experience Price Decrease on White While Red Remains Stable
According to a Dutch importer of grapes based in North Brabant, the demand for white seedless grapes has stagnated in W38 and prices are down at least 25% WoW. In W37 a 5kg box was sold for USD 9.00-10.00 while the price dropped to USD 7.50-9.00/5kg box in W38, depending on the origin and quality. In that sense, while the quality of Italian grapes have been reported as good and satisfactory, the latest arrivals of grapes from Spain have been problematic from a quality point of view. Grapes from Greece are average, do not stand, but have not shown relevant quality problems so far. Resultantly, several supermarkets and importers have decided to end imports from Spain, rather focussing on Italy and Greece until the start of the overseas season.
On the other hand, the quality of red seedless grapes have been good, with the exception of some arrivals from Spain where the main problem has been the lack of coloration in the Crimson variety, which has not affected its sale. Prices per 5kg box are between USD 11.00-12.50 in W38, depending on the variety and origin. The Timco variety from Italy reaches the highest value, while the lowest level has been seen in the Sweet Celebration variety from Spain. Dutch importers have also trialed red seedless grapes from Portugal (Jack Salute and Scarlotta) this campaign and the quality has been good, as well as the reception by some buyers. Importers plan to extend the European red seedless grape campaign until the first week of November, weather permitting.
Poland
Fruit From New Countries of Origin Reach the Polish Market in 2022
In 2022 a lot of fresh fruit will arrive in Poland from new countries of origin. During August and September, Spanish and Greek peaches and nectarines faced competition from Serbia and Albania for the first time. Similarly, traditionally highly demanded table grapes from Moldova, at this time of the year, faced fierce competition from Macedonian producers who managed to maintain their price lower by 0.10 eurocents per kilogram. Furthermore, for the autumn citrus campaign, Albanian and Croatian mandarins are expected to appear in Poland for the first time in relatively large volumes, making it more difficult for Spain and Greece to compete as countries of origins.
Italy
The Italian early grape season becomes more challenging every year due to pressure from other origins. At the start of the 2022 season in mid-July, early grapes were ready for harvest but there was no market demand, mostly because of the availability of grapes from other countries. This forced Italian producers to leave grapes on the vines and extend the harvest window of early grapes, according to the development of demand. This situation, which year after year is confirming a concrete trend, is leading producers to invest more in late varieties while pulling out less productive, older and early varieties.
Argentina
Argentina Hopes to Export More Fresh Grapes Without Methyl Bromide to Brazil
For the next campaign, Argentinian producers hope that the number of grape containers exported to Brazil without treatment with methyl bromide will improve. Since the previous campaign, only seven containers out of 300 containers have been exported without going through the said process. In August 2021, Argentina and Brazil signed an agreement to implement an Integrated System of Phytosanitary Measures (SMR) to mitigate the risk of the Lobesia Botrana pest in the fresh grapes exported from Argentina without treatment with methyl bromide. The implementation of the SMR by Brazil means a substantial improvement for producers who save costs and time and favor export conditions by avoiding the quarantine treatment of grapes with methyl bromide, which has consequences for the quality of the fruit and shortens its lifespan.
Brazil
Brazilian Exporters Expect Better Quality Fruit Due to Favorable Weather
Temperatures and levels of solar radiation have increased in the São Francisco Valley region in Brazil in recent weeks with the arrival of Spring. Spring weather allows the quality of Brazilian fruit to increase as the temperature reaches 38°C with less rain. Spring weather makes it difficult for fungi and diseases to proliferate in the mango and grape crops, which will improve production and export volumes.
