Finger Lakes Grape Price List 2022

September 8, 2022

This write-up is based on the grape prices we have as of September 8, 2022. If we get more prices to include, some of the information here may not be quite accurate. If there are major changes to the list as we get any more prices, I will update this summary. - Hans

This year's grape price list has some good news for growers in the Finger Lakes - average prices for almost all of the varieties in this year's list varieties are up compared to 2021. This is true in all three "categories" - native, hybrid and vinifera. And in the cases of the three varieties that have dropped in price (Elvira, Rougeon, and Traminette), the lower average is likely due, at least in part, to prices missing from this year's listing.

The increase in average prices for vinifera varieties is not overly surprising given the lower crop for most of them this year due to winter injury and last year's higher than normal yields. Prices for white vinifera cultivars are up by an average of 6.3%, and red vinifera are up an average of 5.7%. The largest increase is in the price of Chardonnay (up 9.1%), followed by Cabernet Franc (6.0%), Lemberger (5.6%), and Merlot (3.7%). The average price for Riesling is about 2.7% higher than 2021, with prices ranging from $1,400 - $1,850/ton.

The high demand for Concord fruit in the past couple of years is probably having some influence on this year's price. Average price for Concord in the Finger Lakes this year is $358/ton, an increase of about 9% over last year. Other labrusca or labrusca-like varieties increased in value as well, including Niagara (+6.7%), Catawba (+4.7%), and Diamond (+18.9%).

Finally, prices for hybrid/modern/disease-resistant varieties were also riding the wave this year. White varieties were up an average of 7.4% and reds were 3.5% higher. One of the biggest movers in average price this year was Aromella, one of Cornell's more recent grape releases, which jumped more than 31% over last year. Even excluding Aromella, the price for white hybrids was still up almost 6%.

I want to be sure to emphasize that we don't have the same number of prices for most varieties as we did last year. We are still trying to get a few more lists to include so that we can have a better comparison between 2021 and 2022. If you notice a large difference between last year's prices and this year's, but the number of prices in that average is different (percentages are shaded in blue where this is the case), be sure to take that into consideration. You can see the 2021 grape price list here if you want.