Some 1 million acres of California cropland are planted with almond trees, up 126% from 1997, while wine grapes occupy “only” 560,000 bearing aces, up 70% from 1997, according to data from the California Department of Agriculture.
What’s the attraction of almonds? Lower development and maintenance costs as well as the potential to make more money per acre.
Turns out it costs three times as much to develop a vineyard as an almond orchard. Plus: Grapes are no longer the most profitable thing you can plant.
“The only reason to plant open land in the Central Valley with wine grapes would be a planting contract or a water issue, where the grower is worried about the water it takes to support almonds vs. grapes—because almonds take 33% more water, if not 50%,” Jeff Bitter, vp, Allied Grape Growers, told Wines & Vines.
“Most guys that would plant something other than almonds would certainly look at wine grapes, but it’s such a huge capital investment to develop a vineyard that, outside of a buyer providing a written contract, there are not going to be people planting grapevines speculatively,” he adds.
That’s not the whole story, though. An almond orchard has to be replanted after 17 to 20 years, while the right variety of winegrapes will last three or more times that long.