Table grapes back in California wine

In Europe, the enforced shrinkage of EU vineyards summarised in Dec 2007 in  EU reform – as good as it gets is already having an obvious effect, while the signs are that in the much freer environment of the Australian and New Zealand wine industries, growers will be forced to follow suit and pull up a considerable proportion of vines. Meanwhile, California growers are revelling in buoyant demand.

According to the latest figures released by the OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine), 75,000 hectares, or 185,000 acres, of vines were pulled up last year in Europe with by far...