A slow start

The 2017 grape growing year is under way across the appellations of the Western U.S., and the consensus is, it is a slow start. As it turns out most of the wine grape producing regions had just as much precipitation and just as many dreary cold days as we have had here in North Idaho. Combined with below normal temperatures throughout the west this past winter and we are seeing some mild concern about the size of crop as the year gets started.

The drought is officially over that much is clear. Talking to some of our contacts in Northern California this past week we realized how dramatic the rainfall totals are. St. Helena in the heart of the Napa Valley normally receives 33 inches of rain for the year. This past winter of 2016 and 2017 they received more than twice that! Anecdotally there was a story in the Coeur d’Alene Press this past week sighting such significant snowfall in the Northern Sierra Nevada Mountains that some Lake Tahoe area ski resorts will be open through the fourth of July weekend. The stories go on and on, not that we need any additional “intel” about how much precipitation there has been, just read Randy Mann’s column or look out your window on a daily basis to understand that there is plenty of water in lakes and reservoirs all over the west.

Our own nearby appellations in the Walla Walla and the Snake River Valleys had well below normal temperatures throughout the winter with multiple freeze events. For those growers who did not take the time to bury a cane they have likely lost significant production for at the least the coming vintage. One of the areas most significantly impacted by the freeze was The Rocks appellation south of Walla Walla. This fast growing area is prone to freeze we learned when touring it with Rich Funk owner/winemaker at Saviah Cellars. Rich always buries a cane just for this reason so his fruit source will be fine, we are unsure about others. Burying a cane involves a manual process of burying one of the canes from each grapevine to protect it from freeze damage, but even in very cold conditions like this last year it preserves your ability to produce fruit the following summer.

What does all this rain and snow and cold mean for the 2017 growing year? It is a complex answer. Parts of it we don’t yet know, and may not for some time. Here is what we do know. Yields in Washington and Idaho will be down. There was enough freeze damage that a small crop should be expected, some estimates are for it to be 30 percent below normal. For those winemakers not growing their own grapes or who don’t have grapes secured under long-term contracts their fruit prices are going up.

The excessive rain from late winter through the spring is likely to not have much of an impact in the Northwest assuming one big thing… It needs to stop now. Much of the rain happened while the vines were still dormant, so no damage from that. If we continue to get rain now though as the vines are budding out and as they begin to flower there is a risk of shatter which would further reduce yields and potentially damage quality as well.

For California the story is similar. The rain needs to stop now, and from our conversations with growers last week it has stopped. The vines were dormant when the vineyards were standing in water so no damage there. More rain now especially hard rain could damage the set and knock yields and quality down.

It is good news that the drought in California and much of the west has passed. Now is the time though when grape growers and winemakers want to see warm dry days, we hope that is the way it works out and wine consumers and producers alike can breathe a sigh of relief.

If there is a topic you would like to read about or if you have questions on wine, you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com, or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d’Alene Press.

- • •

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.