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The costs of wine-farming From: J Easton As a friend of a wine grape grower Mr Fridjhon's recent article about wine grape prices and the cost of the wines draws me to a hard point, about which most wine writers know (in some cases) little: farming costs. In 2000, when the survey was at 100, the cost to farm 1 hectare of grapes was between R15 000 and R19 000 (gross / Darling and Franschhoek). Whereas in 2004, a year of great currency upheaval, the cost to farm in Franschhoek was R26 000 per hectare; and, in the same year the cost to farm in Napier was R32 000/ha. So do the grapes cost too much? Are the grape farmers making too much? Are the grape farmers being screwed as usual? Does that mean that the lower prices for the grapes and the high prices for the wine mean that the cellar is making the lion's share of the profits? Not in all cases. And, as far as the multi-national chemical companies are concerned the prices of chemicals MUST GO UP every year in order to show profits in line with the previous year's profits. In the minds of many grape farmers is the idea that
longer hang time means lighter grapes, hence less tonnage, hence less
money for already depressed prices. If you combine that with higher costs
to produce ... well, you get my drift. |
Editor's note: Thanks for reminding us about the producer's point of view here. Michael F is at present wine-judging in Australia, and not easily contactable for a response to Mr Easton's interesting points. If I could just expand a little on the final point, concerning the question of 'longer hang time': this matter, where grape-growers are paid by weight, and the weight is lower because the winemakers are demander riper (therefore less water-filled) grapes, is prompting quite a bit of discussion in California right now. The debate there is not only over the desirability of the sort of wine produced by ultra-ripe, even shrivelled grapes, but also whether the grapegrower should bear the costs, especially when Californian winemakers are now allowed to 'rehydrate' grapes - that is, add water to the wine, to replace the liquids lost through the longer time the grapes spend hanging on the vines.
Here is a link to one newspaper article about the conflict in
California, quoting one grower thus: 'Growers leave the grapes out in the
field until they dehydrate and are permitted to put water in to promote
fermentation. The water they are putting back is heavy and all comes out
of the grower's tonnage. It is a cascading cycle of tragedies for the
growers.' |
