Temperatures are predicted to reach 109 degrees in the Yakima Valley today, Friday, July 29, as part of a predicted eight-day stretch of 100+ degree weather. Although heat is good for growing wine grapes, excessive temperatures are challenging for grape growers.
It is vital for growers to monitor their vineyards for the following during periods of excessive heat:
• Grapes can become sunburned and destroyed.
• Watering is vital and difficult to keep up with during extreme heat.
• Vineyard workers are unable to spend as long in the field.
According to Kerry Shiels of DuBrul Vineyard in Sunnyside, they build their annual viticulture program around potential problems. “We really don’t anticipate any issues. It’s been a cool to moderate vintage until this week. Canopies are healthy, especially with the wet spring we have had. We are making sure the canopies remain healthy with water and we’re keeping grape clusters shaded and protected from sunburn. What happens in this heat is the vines shut down and go to sleep. If anything, it will slow things down.”
Patrick Rawn, co-owner of Two Mountain Winery and Vineyard Management, echoes the sentiment. He is keeping water on and saying a short prayer.
This type of heat is not completely unusual, and it’s something most growers are equipped to handle. However, any curveball Mother Nature throws causes worry to any farmer, anywhere.
Despite the heat, Shiels is optimistic about the 2022 vintage: “The vines are catching up to the 2012 vintage, which was a classic Yakima Valley vintage highly regarded by critics and consumers alike. A classic Yakima Valley vintage offers ripe fruit, balanced with acidity and good phenolics, with great potential to age — it’s everything we love about Washington wine,” says Shiels.
Development in most grape varieties is normal to slightly behind this year, according to both Rawn and Shiels.
“Six weeks ago, we were a month behind. Today, we are basically on schedule,” says Shiels. Both growers anticipate harvest beginning on or around Labor Day, and both will pick chardonnay first.
As the grapes ripen, the burden shifts from the grower to the winemaker. Ripe grapes lead to the biggest make-or-break decision made by a winemaker — the decision of when to harvest. The chemistry of the grapes largely determines the potential of a wine’s greatness, as well as the amount of work and attention needed in the winery. Most wineries begin estimations in the winemaking process by grape sampling — literally walking each vineyard and picking select clusters to take back to the winery for testing and tasting.
DuBrul Vineyard will begin sampling the middle of August. “We begin by sampling the grapes for sugar and acidity,” says Shiels. “Once those numbers get close, we start walking the rows and tasting the grapes. As ripeness gets close, the winemakers will start coming to assess the grapes and decide on picking schedules.”
Grape samples collected must be representative of each block, not the overall vineyard. Due to different soil types, elevation, aspects and micro-climates surrounding each part of the vineyard, it is important that the sampling is done with the same level of precision as the viticultural practices used by the winemaker. The uniformity of grape ripeness that results from making several harvest passes through a single vineyard — only picking the perfectly mature grapes and returning a few days later for another row — contributes to the balance and finesse of the resulting wine.
Although this season has been somewhat uncharacteristic, every harvest is unique. So far, the prayers for the 2022 vintage are working, and things are looking good.
• Barbara Glover is executive director of Wine Yakima Valley, an industry group representing member wineries. Her column runs every other week in Friday’s Explore section.
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July 29, 2022 at 05:00PM
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Wine Scene: Despite the heat, 2022 vintage looks good - Yakima Herald-Republic
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