New grape vine plantings on the North Coast are moderate, according to Bob Dempel, owner of Dempel Hopland Vineyard and Grapevine Nursery in Santa Rosa. “Most new vines that are going in are vineyards that are being replanted to other varieties,” he says. “First of all, there’s not a lot of available land for new vineyards. There may be a few small blocks here and there, but most of our business is replantings.”

“I wish I could tell you what the next hottest varietal will be, but I can’t,” Dempel says. “Pinot Noir has been the big one, and I would say there are moderate replantings going on with that varietal.”

Other nurseries report similar activity in term of replantings versus new acreage. “Our nursery business is very healthy, says Michael Monette, North Coast sales representative with Sunridge Nurseries. “The majority of our business is replantings. I would say only 5-10 percent goes to new development and most of that is on the Central Coast.”