Pinot Noir Acreage in US: Setting Record Straight

In the last issue of the PinotFile, I listed data from Mondial du Pinot on Pinot Noir acreage in the world (the year of their statistics was not stated but I assumed was timely). One of my readers, Linda LaFianza in Oregon gratefully pointed out the error in markedly under reporting Pinot Noir acreage for the United States. I researched this further, contacting Laura Burgess in the Oregon Field Office of the USDA, and she set me straight.

Exact figures are difficult to obtain because not all states report yearly and some do not, like California and Oregon, divide acreage into bearing acreage (in production) and non-bearing acreage (vines from 1 to 3 years old). Oregon has been a leader in this country in reporting wine-related statistics.

According to the USDA 2006 statistics (the USDA website is www.nass.usda.gov):

California 27,518 total acres of Pinot Noir planted (24,188 total acres of bearing age) Oregon 8,884 acres of Pinot Noir planted (7,481 total acres of bearing age) Washington 314 acres of Pinot Noir planted New York 235 acres of Pinot Noir planted (2002 statistics only available currently) Pennsylvania 12 acres of Pinot Noir planted

The total United States Pinot Noir acreage in production is at least 32,230 acres, only 6% of the total wine grape acreage of 505,665 acres in the United States. (This total does not include small amounts of Pinot Noir planted in several states other than the five listed above.)