Grapes Could Soon Be Hard to Find at U.S. Grocers: Supply Lines

Grape lovers in North America and beyond may have a tough time finding their favorite fruit over the next few months.

Heavy and unusual downpours in late January devastated unharvested grapes in Chile, the world’s No. 1 exporter.

The deluge left as much as 40%, or 400 million pounds, of Chile’s crop unusable due to damage such as mold, according to grape expert John Pandol.

It’s still too early to see a huge impact on retail prices, with some varieties in the U.S. now fetching about 5% more than they were this time last year, government data show.

A move ...