Weather conditions have largely been warm and sunny with some cool nights, although winter conditions were a little lacking in the early producing region of Hermosillo in north-western Mexico. Back in December when vines are being pruned they require cool temperatures for dormancy. 'But the hours where a little short of what is required,' said producer-shipper Mickey Suarez of MAS Melon & Grape. 'That is a little problem.' As a result, the season is set to start only slightly earlier than usual with Perlette, followed by Flame Seedless.

The next region to come on stream is Caborca, where MAS produces most of its grape – 80 per cent – and supplies it to Griffin & Brand in the UK. This region is set to start in line with a normal year around May 16-17 said Suarez. Conditions in Caborca, which is further north of Hermosillo, tend to be more extreme than in Hermosillo reaching greater highs and lows. 'So we had all the cool temperatures we needed,' said Suarez. And the season from Caborca is in line with a normal year in terms of both start dates and volume, which is good news for the UK. Depending on programmes, supplies into the UK can continue until the second half of June.

MAS is confident that the marketplace will be ready for its grape given the state of the market. 'What is left in Chile is mainly Crimson and Red Globe, so there will not be much white grape left by the time we start,' said Suarez. 'Perlette volumes should be normal to slightly lower because of the December conditions in Hermosillo and Flame looks very good.' The season then moves into Sugraone from both areas, although again Hermosillo appears to have suffered slightly with bunches showing signs of abortions. Volumes from the region could therefore be lower than last season.

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