California raisins and table grapes are doing just fine, thank you! (A Daily Data mea culpa)

Daily Data misinterpreted things in yesterday’s edition (which has now been corrected). We regret the error.

 

“When table grapes are crushed, that just means they cant be sold AS table grapes.

 

Typically table varieties crushed represent the strippings that don’t make the grade to pack.

Raisin grapes always have the option of going three ways, can be packed as table grapes if grower wants to spend the money to farm them for packing, or they can just make raisins, or they can be crushed for wine or concentrate.

 

Most raisin grapes crushed go into concentrate, not wine.

 

Usually, when raisin crush is down, that means raisin market is stronger, so more growers go that route. Lots of old raisin grapes are being pulled out, of course, but not because of wine, because buyers are replanting that land to almonds, pistachios or pomegranates.