In a vintage defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, wildfires preceding harvest, and naturally lower yields, Oregon grape production and crush declined substantially in 2020.
- With lower fruit set leading to lower yields and September wildfire smoke impacting harvest decisions, yield per harvested acre decreased by 24% and harvested acreage declined by 6.4% resulting in a 29% reduction in grape production—more than 30,000 tons less than in 2019.
- The estimated value of wine grape production decreased 34% or by nearly $80million to about $158 million.
- Total planted acreage increased by more than 2,100 acres from 37,399 to 39,531, an increase of 5.7%. Increases were seen throughout the state in both the number of vineyards and total acres planted to grapevines.
- The leading variety in planted acreage and production remains Pinot Noir, accounting for 59% of all planted acreage and 49% of wine grape production.
- Total tons crushed statewide decreased by 23.1% from 84,590 tons to 65,009 tons, with modest increases seen in the Rogue Valley and Columbia River regions.
- Case sales were roughly flat, growing 0.7% across all channels. Sales through direct-to-consumer channels declined by 26.8% overall, with some tasting room losses offset by wine club and web/phone orders. Sales into distributed channels increased by 3.5% in Oregon and 9.1% in the rest of the U.S.
- Export sales increased by 24.3%. The leading export market for Oregon wine continues to be Canada, which accounted for 46% of export sales. Notable growth was seen in all markets.