From the San Francisco Chronicle:

After keeping their wallets in their pockets during the height of the recession, California wine-grape growers are ready to expand their vineyards or replant existing ones.

Everyone is hustling to get their vines in the ground by May. The problem: There is a shortage of vines.

Nurseries got so slammed with orders from the big growers in the summer and fall that anyone who didn't get in on the frenzy early is now grape out of luck.

David Beckstoffer, president of Beckstoffer Vineyards, said there are blocks on his Napa Valley and Mendocino properties that won't get planted this year because his suppliers are out of the clones of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay that were earmarked for that land.

While the lack of vines isn't likely to affect the price of wine in the foreseeable future, it could slow production at a time when growers are getting top dollar for their grapes.

Vineyard experts cite a number of reasons for the sudden planting rush, including a grape shortage that has many farmers speculating on the future; the need to replant existing vineyards due to age, disease and pests; and keeping up with varietal trends.

For more, see: Vine supply dries up for late-ordering growers