Crop news and other updates from wine country
As we approach veraison and the half way point in the 2017 wine grape growing season it seems like a good time for an update on the crop. Also there is much news from the wine countries of the Western US that potentially affects all of us as wine consumers so it is a good time to cover those items too.
The growing year so far has been very inconsistent. Just about every wine grape grower and winemaker we have talked to or emailed with is somewhere on a continuum between mildly and extremely concerned about the results for this year. Spring started out wet and cool and very slow for the wine grape crop. Just as all of us here in North Idaho were so tired of the cool rainy weather, our friends in the wine industry were not only tired of the weather but worried about how much it would slow the crop.
As the spring rains finally relented most appellations then saw several heat spikes. They did not last though. In mid June Mary had traveled to Northern California for some family events and experienced a very unusual thunderstorm while staying in Sonoma County. We talked to friends in Northern California on the Fourth of July weekend to learn that the high temperatures were in the upper 50s with rain! As we have said many times if you give winemakers and growers the choice they will choose a long warm and dry growing season anytime over one involving any precipitation.
While these big swings in temperature and occasional rain are unwelcome they are happening early enough in the season to limit significant damage. The “canopy,” the layer of leaves overhanging the grapes, is still full providing plenty of shade from the damaging heat. Cutting back the “canopy” rarely occurs before late in the growing season when farmers are focused on ripening so the grapes have had plenty of cover to prevent raisining. Similarly the rains have so far occurred prior to veraison. Veraison is when the grapes turn from green to purple. Once they do turn they are more likely to absorb water from the rains diluting quality and risking mold and rot. So while the weather so far has not been great for a good crop the damage has been somewhat mitigated by the timing of the poor conditions. We will see what happens from here but a couple of months of consistently warm and dry weather will go a long way to calming nerves in wine country.
Now for other news… The furious pace of wine industry mergers and acquisitions continues unabated. The large companies like Constellation Brands, Gallo and the like seem to have a virtually unlimited bank of funds for buying both vineyards and wineries. Producing vineyard acquisitions are now routinely topping the $1 million per acre figure in Napa leaving many wondering if small and new wineries will be able to afford fruit from the most sought after appellations in both Napa and Sonoma counties. While this might not seem like a big deal it could potentially lead to a dearth of the small producers that many wine enthusiasts enjoy so much. If they can’t even start out with access to reliable quality fruit sources the disincentive to start a winery might be too much. If it happens in California then it certainly could work its way to the Northwest creating similar limiting factors here.
Constellation Brands continues its push into the ultra premium category. Just last week it was reported that they had bought superstar Napa Cabernet producer Schrader for $60 million. While the purchase will almost certainly allow more ready access to the Schrader portfolio one does wonder if the quality and production amounts will remain at current levels. Much like the grape crop this year only time will tell.
We will update progress on the grape crop toward the end of summer as harvest approaches, for further updates before then just stop by the shop or send along your questions.
If there is a topic you would like to read about or if you have questions on wine, you can email [email protected], or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d’Alene Press.
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George Balling is co-owner (with his wife Mary Lancaster) of the dinner party, a wine and table top décor shop located by Costco in Coeur d’Alene. George worked as a judge in many wine competitions, and his articles are published around the country. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. Be sure and check out our weekly blog at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com/home/blog-2. You can get all of these articles as well as other great wine tips by friending us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.