The 2005 California winegrape harvest, already declared the second largest in history, also could be one of the best vintages from a quality standpoint, a group of vintners from around the state said this week.

Ten vintners, along with Bob Steinhauer, respected viticulturist from Foster's Wine Estates Americas (formerly Beringer Vineyards), agreed that the harvest was high in quality and quantity during a press conference conducted by the Wine Institute Thursday in San Francisco.

Last month the California Department of Food and Agriculture estimated the 2005 crop at 3.15 million tons, second only to the 2000 vintage which produced 3.32 million tons.

Steinhauer, who completed his 39th harvest this year, said many people are comparing the 2005 harvest to that of 1997 (the largest ever at that time) in that both featured "a big crop and excellent quality. But that's where the similarity ends," he added. "Ninety-seven was a cakewalk, it started early and we were done by the 10th of October. This year, it was a dogfight from start to finish."

He pointed out the weather conditions that made it a tough year -- a wet winter, a cool summer, and no heat spikes during September, and although the cool weather slowed ripening, it allowed longer hang time to achieve proper maturity.

He said that everyone recognized it would be a late season, "but fortunately, we had good weather in September and October. Those two months were excellent."

Steinhauer asked a rhetorical question: "How good are the wines?" and then answered -- "We just know we have good wines. Chardonnay and pinot noir look outstanding, and merlot, cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel all look very good."

Lower alcohol levels

He said that the vintage had sugar levels a little lower than previous years and the wines are likely to have a lower alcohol level, which will probably please many consumers and wine critics.

Tim Wong, director of winemaking for Delicato Vineyards, agreed, saying he believed the alcohol will be slightly lower. "We noted (the grapes) were maturing at a lower Brix level, and this was pretty much the case in all varieties."

Dirk Hampson, director of winemaking for Far Niente, Nickel & Nickel and Dolce in Napa Valley, called his chardonnay "the finest fruit I've seen since we started planting for phylloxera. I'm not ready to say that about cabernet (sauvignon). (The vintage) is living up to all the early markers we've seen."

Hampson said grape clusters were heavier than in previous years, in some cases showing a 25 percent increase in weight. Larger berries, tighter clusters and larger clusters all added to the increased weight.

Steinhauer said that some places in the Central Valley will finish picking by mid-November, and acknowledged that in Monterey and Paso Robles some grapes remain on the vines, and with good weather "they'll probably be picked by mid-November. There is some concern about winery capacity - that's why some (grapes) aren't picked."

In talking about the problems wineries had in finding tank space for all the grapes, Doug Meador, of Ventana Vineyards in Monterey County, said all the fruit came in at once. "In past years, winemakers have been pushing for higher sugars. This creates a smaller window for picking -- when all (grapes) are harvested at once, you can run into a jam-up when you run out of the normal sequence of events, and that's what we had this year."

Varietal sequence

called 'out of whack'

"The varietal sequence was out of whack," he continued. "Normally we're half through sauvignon blanc when chardonnay starts, but this year we were sitting around waiting (for chardonnay)."

Peter Poole, of Mount Palomar Winery in Temecula, felt the larger vintage was due to the fact that the two previous vintages were smaller. The vines didn't have to use all their energy in those years, "so this year they had energy for a larger crop," he said.

Robin Baggett, of Courtside Cellars and Tolosa Winery in the Paso Robles area, thinks this will be one of the best pinot noir vintages. "It was ideal weather for pinot noir," he said. "We knew we had a large crop at the start, so we went in to drop (fruit). We had a balanced crop and it all came in at the same time."

But Tom Klein, of Rodney Strong Vineyards in Healdsburg, said some pinot noir growers in Sonoma County, home of some excellent pinots, reported that clusters were lighter than normal, which could lead to smaller-than-hoped-for production.

The panel was asked if the large size of the crop would have a negative impact, and Steinhauer said, "I don't believe the large crop will be a negative. It will give us a chance to sell even more wine."

He cited a recent survey showing that wine is now the preferred beverage by Americans, by 39 percent to 36 percent over beer (margin of error plus/minus 4 percent).

The Wine Institute's press kit also showed wine consumption has increased every year for the past 11 consecutive years, from 449 million gallons in 1993 to 668 million gallons in 2004, and shipments for the first seven months of 2005 indicated the trend continuing, up about 3.6 percent over the previous year.

Another Two-Buck Chuck?

Asked if it meant another Two-Buck Chuck phenomenon, he said, "Two-Buck Chuck will continue regardless, but I think the potential is there for some very nice wine at great prices for consumers."

He said he believes the industry will sell all this wine and quoted bulk wine broker Joe Ciatti as saying that all the wine will be absorbed by the industry.

Stephen Kautz, of Ironstone Vineyards in Murphys, agreed: "Two-Buck Chuck isn't going away, but new ones? I don't see it happening. Is there room for a half-dozen Two-Buck Chucks? No. The quality (this year) is so good that everyone will want to move it at higher prices."

Kautz said the amount of bulk wine on the market was relatively low going into 2005, so there won't be the glut that was seen following 2000.

Mendocino vintner Hubert Lenczowski, of Duncan Peak Vineyards, also didn't think the large harvest will spawn any more Two-Buck Chucks. "There's always a market for Two-Buck Chuck, and maybe it'll be Three-Buck, but premium grapes will always be sought."

That's good news for Napa Valley vintners.