California’s grape business is healthy and thriving, wine industry analysts told a crowd of nearly 1,200 people in a seminar at the annual Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento.

Moderator Nat DiBuduo, president and CEO of Fresno’s Allied Grape Growers, said during the symposium’s “State of the Industry” session Wednesday that the state’s vineyard acreage continues to rise each year, and that California wines produced from the grape varietals most widely planted — chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir — remain popular with consumers around the world.

While it’s too early for final numbers, the 2012 harvest is shaping up to be the largest in California history, DiBuduo said, at an estimated 3.8 million tons.

While it’s too early for final numbers, the 2012 harvest is shaping up to be the largest in California history, DiBuduo said, at an estimated 3.8 million tons.

For a look at the future, in a recent survey of nurseries Allied found that vines for white wines comprised 39 percent of the total sold to various vineyards, and vines for red wines 61 percent, DiBuduo said.

For more, see: California’s wine industry healthy and thriving