Valley wineries celebrating beginning of grape harvest

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The wine grape harvest is underway in many parts of the Valley. And depending on your price point, there's a pretty good chance the grapes used to produce the wine you buy were grown locally.

The moon's glow offers the only light during the Valley wine grape harvest. That is, until mechanical harvesters start rumbling their way through the vineyard.

The Pinot Grigio wine grapes at J&J Farms must be picked overnight when it's much cooler.

"You have less breakdown of the grapes, so they come off the vine better and fresher," Nat Dibudio with Allied Grape Growers said.

Get them delivered to the winery before they start fermenting."

The Valley is home to the state's largest Pinot Grigio grape crop, and harvesters rattle the vines leaving once-full bunches empty. Dibuduo says the Valley plays a big role in the U.S. wine market.

"Most of the grapes that are grown here in the Valley are grown for wine that is produced for under $10 a bottle and that's about 50 percent of the wine that's produced," he said.

That includes cabernet, chardonnay and rose wines. But many growers continue to replace their vineyards with nut trees which have been very profitable.

"We probably pulled out last year 10,000 acres of Thompsons and probably another 10-15,000 acres of wine grapes," Dibuduo said.

And as Valley wine grapes head off the various wineries, Dibuduo says the wet winter and high heat have resulted in a much smaller crop this season.

The Thompson seedless grape crop is down 20 percent from a year ago. Thompsons are often used in cheaper champagnes as well as brandy production.