There are “a lot of unknowns” moving into the California fall grape crop this year, and a lot of variation can be anticipate in available supplies of grapes throughout the late season, ranging from timing of varieties and length of time in storage to berry size and quality, according to Clint Lucas, an inspector at RJO Produce Marketing Inc. in Fresno, CA.

It has been a good-quality year to date, although sizing has been off in some varieties, and in general “we still expect to see a good quality product on both reds and greens as long as Mother Nature cooperates.” But “we hear completely different things from one grower to another depending on what situation they are in,” Lucas said Aug. 8.

“In a year like this, when there are so many unknowns” and so many different situations, he said, “I think being out there and doing inspections on fruit for our customers” is especially important.

Rob O’Rourke, Fred Valentino, Jeff Colvard, Clinton Lucas and John O’Rourke of RJO Produce Marketing.“Our core competency is being on ground representing our customers, whether it be inspections or category management or procurement or whatever the customer needs us to do, just focusing on making sure they get the product they need,” Lucas said in a previous interview

RJO offers that range of services for many types of fruit. In terms of grapes, he said, “we are out there every day” throughout the California “looking at the fruit, making sure what [customers] are ordering is what they are getting.”

All of RJO’s inspectors are equipped with hand-held devices utilizing the company’s “Bird Dog Quality Scoring System,” which allows customers see real time exactly how a given lot of fruit rates on the scoring system.

Grapes are “the key commodity that we are dealing with going into the fall,” Lucas said in the Aug. 8 interview. In talking with grape growers, shippers and sales people about their expectations for the late season this year, Lucas found that there are “a lot of unknowns” and “a lot of question marks.” Moreover, he said, “I hear completely different things from one grower to another depending on what situation they are in.”

Many of the unknowns center around water availability due to restricted surface water allocations and dropping water tables after three years of drought.

A related issue is the possibility of early rains this fall, which could have an effect on how long the harvest season will last. Another factor is the fact that many varieties have been coming off early and some growers think that if that continues the season could end early regardless of what effect rains may have.

Regardless of when the harvest ends, “from talking to shippers it sounds like it is going to be business as usual this year,” as some of them expect to ship red and green grapes out of storage through Christmas. That was the case last year for many growers and seems to be becoming the norm, he said. The question this year, if the harvest wraps up early for whatever reason, may be “whether guys are going to increase the markets and slow down movement and stretch [the shipping season] out” or whether the shipping season will end early.

In addition, the amount of water growers have had available to put on their vineyards during the grape season can also affect berry size and condition as well as harvest timing.

With all the variations and uncertainties, it will be important for RJO’s inspectors to be “out there doing inspections on fruit for our customers” making sure that the fruit meets customers’ size specifications, that there is no decay in the boxes and that “the fruit is still strong,” Lucas said.

Many growers will be “packing and sitting on fruit for 30 days plus,” he added, “and it is key for us to be in those coolers looking at orders and checking pack dates” to make sure that the storage fruit “holds up and is still strong” and will not only arrive at customers’ docks but will “perform at store level” and consumers will be happy.

“The key for us is to do what we do and that is be in the field and re present our customers and make sure they get the strongest fruit available” and the size and quality they want, Lucas said. While that may be especially critical in a year like this, “that is the key every year with the fall deal.”