Growers are hopeful that recent rain will bring more grapes come harvest

While it’s premature to predict this year’s grape yields, recent rains certainly are more encouraging than the Valley’s earlier near-drought conditions. Whether the rainfall will be enough to get the vineyards through the long, hot months of summer is anyone’s guess. Ned Hill, owner of Parmelee-Hill Vineyards, said that harvest is too far off to predict.
“There are just too many variables right now,” said Hill. “Our water situation is better than it was a few weeks ago but we’re still a long way off.”
Last year’s harvest was down from 2007 by about six percent, according to the Preliminary Grape Crush Report that the California Department of Food and Agriculture recently released. The 2008 harvest brought in an estimated 3.05 million tons, compared to 3.25 tons crushed in 2007. Lighter yields from the state’s vineyards were the result of a dramatic growing season last year, beginning with below normal winter rainfall, an extended April frost that reduced quantity in many regions of the state, followed by ideally mild summer and fall temperatures with no precipitation. The loss of quantity didn’t hurt quality, however. Berry size was small throughout California and, combined with the lighter yields, resulted in excellent quality fruit. If rainfall is excessive, the plump berries sometimes lack flavor. The total harvest of grapes for wine, raisin and table varieties was 3.67 million tons.
Valley growers are hopeful that this year’s harvest will be better than last. Sonoma County Winegrape Commission President Nick Frey said that recent rains have recharged the soil somewhat but the rest is up to Mother Nature. Hill agreed, saying, “The reservoirs are now full but we’ve got to worry more about the rains we get in April and May. These are the rains that sustain us through the summer. Anything we use for frost abatement now is less (water) we have to use for irrigation later.”
Early spring frost can burn new young shoots, and frost later in the season can affect vines that are flowering. And while frost damage doesn’t affect the taste of the wine, it may cut the crop size. One of the best ways to protect a vineyard is to spray it with water, thus insulating it from damage. Lack of rainfall keeps this from happening naturally, which means growers are forced to use irrigation sources for frost protection.
According to Hill, frost in some areas last year was incredibly destructive. “In some cases,” he said, “15 to 20 percent of the grape fields were frosted so badly that it may affect this year’s crop.” Some of this damage can be repaired through pruning but may mean that the vineyard’s crop will ultimately be affected for a longer period of time.
“In a normal season, we see frost about four to six times,” said Frey. “But last year we had frost at higher elevations. Each year is completely different, so we can never predict what the weather will bring.” With more rain predicted, both men were hopeful that the additional rainfall would further ease the minds of growers.
Steve Thomas, as well, was cautiously optimistic about the recent rainfall. As the director of vineyard operations for Kunde Estate Winery and Vineyards, Thomas talked about growers’ practice of basing the strength of this year’s vines on last year’s weather patterns.
“The buds we leave at pruning now were formed during last year’s growing season,” said Thomas. “My hope is that last year’s spring did not destroy the fruitfulness beyond the normal variable.” Thomas said that the rain is definitely helping matters and that cloudy weather is preferable to clear. “Those cold clear days and nights are what bring in the frost,” said Thomas. “If it remains cool and cloudy, we can delay bud break until the end of March or early April, which is the traditional start of the growing season.”
Margo Van Staaveren is the winemaker at Chateau St. Jean. She said that Mother Nature was stubborn in 2008. “We had to be flexible and reactive during the growing season and patient at harvest,” said Van Staaveren. “The crop level was down compared to 2007, but the resulting wines have great concentration of fruit and finesse. I’m particularly pleased with the merlot in Sonoma County.”
Overall, growers are pleased with the recent rainfall, but still concerned about what may lie ahead. Only the weather will tell.