Unsold Grapes Survey – Results from Pennsylvania

In response to concerns raised by Pennsylvania and New York grape producers, the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program conducted a survey focused on capturing data on grapes that went unsold in 2025. "Unsold" in this context means fruit that was grown with the intention to be sold but was then not purchased or otherwise utilized because no buyer was willing to purchase said grapes. Working with Extension colleagues in New York and Pennsylvania, the survey was circulated to growers across New York State and Pennsylvania at the end of 2025 to capture as much of this information as possible.

The survey asked growers to share the variety, tons unsold, and price they had expected to receive. While 114 respondents completed the survey, the results do not capture all of the grapes that went unsold in 2025. Additionally, there is no past data available with which to compare the average amount of unsold grapes in these states. The results are a snapshot of the grape market during the 2025 harvest in New York and Pennsylvania.

Results

The following table summarizes the results, capturing about 10,938 tons across 50+ varieties with a total estimated value of $5.39 million across New York and Pennsylvania combined. It highlights market challenges, such as oversupply, where juice grapes dominate volume, but vinifera and hybrids command higher prices per ton. Further, these results highlight market challenges such as a decrease in alcohol and, specifically, wine sales. For example, there is likely to be a decrease in grape purchases if there is a large inventory of bottled wines from previous vintages. These survey results provide a baseline estimate of the scale and distribution of oversupply in 2025, even though they undercount the true volume of unsold grapes.

Juice varieties like Concord and Niagara represent ~70% of unsold tonnage reported. These grapes, grown in NY-PA's Lake Erie AVA, are produced in high quantities and command lower prices ($300-400/ton) than other wine varieties and are suited primarily for juice/jelly. Wine grapes like Cabernet Franc ($2,158 avg) and Merlot show 5-6x higher prices but are grown in smaller quantities.

*Average Price is the average of eachgrower'sreported price.Weighted Priceaccounts for the quantityof tons reported at each price and provides higher weight to higher quantities.(Prices can be highly variable based on growing location, fruit quality, and localmarkets).

In this survey,New York accounts forthe majority ofunsold fruit by volume, but Pennsylvania growers also reported significant impacts, with about 1,362 tons and $764,575worthof unsold grapes statewide. In Pennsylvania, Concord (cash and cooperative) again dominates, together totalingroughly 915tons and more than $330,000 in lostrevenue, followed by smaller volumes of Niagara and vinifera varieties like Riesling, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon.Theresultsfrom Pennsylvaniashow that the oversupply is not confined to the Lake Eriegrapebelt but affectsallregions across the state.The following tables show the results reported for Pennsylvania,includingstatewide, Erie County, and all counties excluding Erie.

Concord and Niagara prices in both states cluster around the low to mid$300s per ton for cash markets and slightly higher for cooperative deliveries, a level consistent with comments that processors are overstocked with juice and concentrate. Reports from extension programs and local media(see list below)indicatedropped contracts, delayed payments, and some growers leaving fruit unharvested because the costofpickingexceeds the revenue they could receive.

While vinifera and hybrid wine grape varieties command higher prices per ton, often $1,500–$2,500 for varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc or Merlot, there are still unsold volumes across regions. This aligns with national data showing declining wine consumption in the U.S. and slower growth in premium segments, which reduces demand for wine grapes even at higher quality levels.​ For some varieties (e.g., Concord, Riesling), the weighted price differs from the simple average, reflecting that larger blocks may have been marketed at lower prices than small, higher-priced lots. This suggests that big-volume growers had to accept deeper discounts or may have been left with more unsold fruit than smaller producers. For growers, the unsold tonnage documented in these tables represents a direct loss of income in 2025 plus indirect pressure on future plantings and management decisions.

Respondents' Comments

In the open comments section,Pennsylvania respondents describea saturated market, declining prices, and growing financial stress, especially for smaller operations.These issuespersist despitetheir reports of excellentfruit quality,due to the dry conditions throughoutripening.Several growers report that prices were significantly lower than in previous years, in some cases by about $600 per ton, yet they still could not find buyers. Multiple comments mention a steady decline in prices regardless of quality and note that inventory is high while demand is low, leaving some producers with only half their crop sold or forced to accept half-price sales.​

Growers describe an unpredictable market, both in price and in quantities, and express concern that co-ops may restrict deliverable tonnage. Comments highlight that unsold or partially sold varieties can equate to losses of $15,000–$20,000 per year per farm, and that small farms are "impacted the most" because they cannot absorb repeated losses. One grower notes that wine grape payments are two years behind, compounding cash flow issues in an already tight-margin environment. Labor remains a major cost and risk, though one respondent reports mitigating this by purchasing a mechanical harvester.​

Several comments explicitly call for structural solutions rather thanfarm-by-farmcoping.One respondentnotesthat it would be helpful to have a dedicated marketplace for selling wine grapes, suggesting that improved marketing channels and information sharing could alleviate at least part of the mismatch between supply and demand.

Future Surveys

We are committed tobuildinguponthisinitial2025 survey. A follow-up survey will be distributed during the 2026 harvest season to collectmoredata onbothsold andunsold grapes, allowing us to track year-over-year changes in volumes, prices, varieties affected, and regional patterns. This longitudinal approach will provide growers with reliable trend information to better address oversupply challenges and support informed plantingandmarketing decisions.Continued collaboration from grape growers will be essential to ensure these surveys capture a comprehensive and representative picture of market conditions across New York and Pennsylvania.

Recent Media Coverage:

Thach, L. (2025, November 13).Why America's vineyards are in crisis—and how growers can survive.Forbes.

Marketplace. (2025, November 27).It'sanother tough year for California wine grape growers.

Northwest Public Broadcasting. (2025, September 23).Grape glut: Too much wine across the world leaves tons of U.S. grapes rotting this crush season.

CNHI. (2025, November 12).Make it or break it year for some county grape growers.Yahoo News.