The 2015 California table grape season in the San Joaquin Valley moved into the final weeks of the harvest in mid-October with the deal continuing to be characterised by advanced fruit maturity.
This has been the case from the outset when shipping commenced in mid-June, almost two weeks ahead of historical norms. Industry observers attribute the early seasonal start to abnormally mild weather leading up to the season – a symptom of the state’s ongoing drought.
It’s often the case that when California table grapes run abnormally early, maturity tends to gravitate to more normal timing over the course of the season. This has not been the case this year.
“It’s looking like the harvest will wrap up in early November,” said Brian Crettol of Jasmine Vineyards in early October. “This year’s deal is at least two to three weeks early and has been all season.”
The primary varieties from California during the autumn months are currently Scarlett Royal, Autumn Royal and Autumn King. That’s a major change to the state’s late-season varietal mix, which had previously been dominated by Crimson Seedless and Thompson Seedless. As Crimsons are notorious for poor coloring in the San Joaquin Valley heat, the quick-to-color Scarlett Seedless has emerged as the red variety of preference during this point of the season.
As the only “late” green grape available in the latter part of the California season, a portion of the Thompson crop has traditionally been placed into cold storage to give the California industry a green seedless grape during the waning weeks of the season. With the introduction of Autumn King, California growers now have a grape that, weather permitting, can often be harvested well into November. The Thompson acreage remaining in production is now shipped during the variety’s natural time slot in late summer.
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