In its preliminary crush report released March 13, the California Agricultural Statistics Service announced that 2.6 million tons of wine grapes were crushed in 2025, a decrease of about 9% from 2024, when 2.84 million tons were processed.
The state’s final report will be released April 30.
The 2.6 million tons figure means that California’s wine grape crush was the lightest in more than two decades.
White wine varieties accounted for the largest share of all grapes crushed, at 1,316,716 tons, down 6% from 2024. Red wine varieties crushed a total of 1,306,727 tons, down 10.8% from 2024.
Many industry observers had forecast an even smaller number after anecdotal reports of tons and tons of grapes left unpicked, and thousands of acres being pulled, according to the report.
That translates to the rough equivalent of 20 million fewer cases produced in 2025 than in 2024, according to Steve Fredricks, president of Turrentine Brokerage.
“It’s moving in the right direction,” he said. “We certainly seem to be making less than we’re selling.”
Both cabernet sauvignon and sauvignon blanc tonnage increased — the former only in Napa, and the latter statewide, according to the report. Both increases were attributed to newer acreage having been planted to meet consumer demand.
When both raisins and table grapes were included, the 2025 crush totaled 2,759,202 tons, down 6.2% from the 2024 crush of 2,942,673 tons, according to the report.
Growers in District 8, which includes San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, reported crushing 8,984.5 tons of pinot noir grapes in 2025, according to the report. The average price per ton of pinot noir across the district was $2,390.50.
Grapes produced in District 4 (Napa County) received the highest average price at $6,767.53 per ton, down 2.6% from 2024. District 3 (Sonoma and Marin counties) received the second-highest average price at $2,761.37 per ton, down 5.7% from 2024.
Acclaimed Photographer, Wine Aficionado Bob Dickey Dies at 85
Bob Dickey, a longtime supporter of Santa Barbara County’s wine industry and a prolific photographer, succumbed to cancer earlier this year.
Dickey was born in Virginia, Minn., on May 30, 1940, and died in Santa Barbara on Feb. 13, it was noted in his obituary.
He left a lengthy career as a banking consultant to pursue photography for the wine industry, according to a story published in PBS SoCal.
More than 35 years ago, he met one of Santa Barbara County’s winemaking pioneers, Fred Brander, the latter recalled.
Theirs was a friendship born of the love of travel, wine and good food.
“While Bob was never on the Brander payroll, per se, he helped me promote my wines in both the Santa Ynez Valley and in Los Angeles,” Brander said.
For several years, Dickey led winery tours for the travel organization Road Scholar, formerly known as Elderhostel, which caters to adults age 50 or older. He brought guests to Brander Winery “at least a half-dozen times,” Brander said.
Dickey, Brander explained, was a “very enthusiastic” promoter of Santa Barbara County wines, and “we were delighted to have him on our team.”
“He was very gregarious, he said, “with a booming voice his trademark, and never rubbed anyone the wrong way.”
Another longtime winemaker, Karen Steinwachs, shared an email that Dickey wrote to her last October in which he recalled meeting her in a wine marketing class he was teaching at Allan Hancock College.
Steinwachs told me she considers Dickey’s email, in which he thanked her for her friendship, a goodbye of sorts.
From that Allan Hancock College class to harvests and cellars, Dickey photographed Steinwachs and many other winemakers as they produced vintage year after vintage year.
Dickey emailed how he enjoyed observing and photographing Steinwachs working “at Fiddlehead (Cellars), and (with) Kathy (Joseph, owner of Fiddlehead), of course. I learned a lot about (grape) picking and winemaking. And having fun! The parties at Fiddlehead were always some of the best and most creative.”
He congratulated Steinwachs “for making such a leap from high tech to farming and winemaking — and promoting that with WOPN (the World of Pinot Noir, which Steinwachs helped found).”
Dickey continued: “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told groups that I was walking through the vineyard with you when you stopped, picked up a white rock and asked if I knew what this — diatomaceous earth — rock was.
“That story is an integral part of my explanation of the uniqueness of the Santa Ynez Valley wine country.”
Shelby Sim, president/CEO of Visit the Santa Ynez Valley, recalled that “Bob had been a longtime Santa Ynez Valley ambassador before I arrived on the scene. He welcomed me with open arms and was always generous with invaluable insights.”
“He will be missed,” Sim said.
Dickey is survived by his longtime partner, Deb Frazier, and three sons.