The American Association of Wine Economists published some fascinating figures on Twitter on Thursday afternoon. One of the most intriguing was a graph depicting the most popular organic wine grapes in the U.S.
Sourced from the USDA Certified Organic Survey, the amounts of different grape varieties utilized in U.S. wine production shook out as follows:
Certified Organic U.S. Wine Grapes by Variety, 2016 pic.twitter.com/yZAHKSmS6G
— AAWE (@wineecon) May 17, 2018
Cabernet Sauvignon won by a long shot, with 9,496 tons of grapes used. Second to Cabernet Sauvignon, at nearly half the amount, were Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, at 5,857 tons and 5,395 tons, respectively. Then came Merlot (2,983 tons), Zinfandel (2,375 tons), Pinot Gris (2,150 tons), and Riesling (1,701 tons). Other grape varieties comprised 24,127 tons.
In another graph showing amounts of certified organic grapes harvested by state (including wine grapes and table grapes), California shot up as the clear winner:
Certified #Organic Grapes Harvested in the U.S. by State in 2016 @rawwine @OWineReview @LaurelGlenWine @MontyWaldin @EaglesNestWine @PhilPhilharhar @bonterrawine @owj pic.twitter.com/flFnkvz6at
— AAWE (@wineecon) May 16, 2018
And yet, there was this interesting intel: Riesling, the seventh most popular grape variety, is almost exclusively produced in Washington, not California.
The vast Majority of Certified Organic Riesling Grapes come from Washington State (not from California). @wild4wawine @WA_WINE_BLOG @washington_wine @WaWineSteve @WA_State_Wine @wawinecountry @wawinereport @WinesNorthwest @EricDegerman @RieslingRules @SteMichelle @PigottRiesling pic.twitter.com/jvjXDzyv7a
— AAWE (@wineecon) May 17, 2018
We consider ourselves wine patriotic. We love grapes of all regions, as long as they produce great wines.
