Wine Grape Production in Sacramento County. As in much of the state, acreage of wine grapes in Sacramento County increased rapidly during the 1990s. According to the 2001 Agricultural Crop & Livestock Report, there were 25,802 harvested acres of wine grapes. Harvested acreage in 1999 was up 40 percent from 1998, and that of 1998 was up nearly 50 percent from 1997. The 2001 grape crop had a value of over $95 million dollars, which makes it the leading commodity in Sacramento County. Vine planting has slowed dramatically in recent years as wine grapes are now in oversupply due to widespread planting throughout the world and increased exporting of other countries, particularly Italy and France, Australia, and Chile and Argentina.
The main varieties growing in Sacramento County are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zinfandel, but many growers have planted blocks of less common varieties such as Pinot Gris, Viognier, Sangiovese, and Syrah. Unlike pears, wine grapes are produced throughout the southern part of the county and the majority of the vineyard acreage is owned by operations based outside of Sacramento County. Also, there are no wineries here yet, although a few very small wineries are underway, and grapes are shipped dozens to hundreds of miles away. Sacramento County contains a portion of two crush districts: the Lodi district, east of Interstate 5, and the Clarksburg district west of I-5.
Pests of Grapes. Wine grape pest management in most varieties is usually relatively easy, and most pests can be controlled by several products and cultural practices. However, a new pest, vine mealybug (Planococcus ficus) has taken hold in Sacramento and Yolo Counties. Grape leafhopper, spider mite, and omnivorous leaf roller (OLR) are the main arthropod pests, and in most cases can be easily controlled, if control is necessary at all. However, the use of Cryocide and Kryolite, used for OLR control, are now banned by some wineries because they contain fluoride, so some growers have switched to mating disruption to control OLR. Grape phylloxera attacks roots on own-rooted vineyards, so most growers use rootstocks and a few flood their vineyards in the winter to control phylloxera. As in other districts, the glassy-winged sharpshooter is posing a serious threat to grape production, so task forces have been set up to address the problem in Sacramento and neighboring counties.
Eutypa dieback is the leading disease problem here, and no control method is currently available; late pruning (Feb. to early March) is recommended but is often not practical. Powdery mildew and bunch rot pose problems each year. For powdery mildew, dusting and/or spraying with sulfur and/or any of a number of fungicides is required for all varieties, and for bunch rot, control strategies are required on tight clustered varieties.
For more information about vine mealybug research in Sacramento, select items below :
Vine Mealybug