Right around the holidays, the customers at Old Firehouse Winery start to see pink.
Pink Catawba, that is.
The rose-colored wine is an Old Firehouse favorite, especially for stocking stuffers and holiday gift-giving, but a critical shortage of Catawba grapes could put the “pink cat” out of commission for a year, winery owner Don “Woody” Woodward said.
“For the first time in our 20-plus years, the eastern region of the United States is suffering from a temporary Catawba grape shortage,” Woodward said. “The worse case scenario is that we may run out of Pink Catawba early next summer.”
While a grape shortage today means no pink wine by summer, Woodward said it will affect holiday wine shoppers, too.
“We know that many of our customers were hoping that the ‘Pink Cat’ would be on sale during the holiday season,” Woodward said. “Obviously, we do not have the inventory to discount Pink Catawba, although one of our wines will be on sale.”
Woodward said together the pink and white Catawba wines are the best sellers at the winery.
Donniella Winchell, executive director of Ohio Wine Producers' Association, said a hard freeze is to blame for the shortage.
“The freeze hit the entire Lake Erie region and a good part of the Finger Lakes and parts of Michigan, so there is a regional shortage of Catawba grapes,” she said.
Winchell said wineries — and wine lovers — will feel the affects of the shortage.
“The hit will be significant, primarily because those consumers who love Catawba will be disappointed in the shortage,” she said.
Woodward said the employees at the Old Firehouse Winery are hoping for the best, but planning for the worst.
“While we are still hopeful we can get some Catawba, so far we have not been very successful,” he said. “The best case scenario is that we will not be making any white Catawba and putting it all into pink. Hopefully, the 2010 growing year will be back to normal.”
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