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The growing season for wine grapes in the Northern hemisphere is just underway so we felt it is a good time to look back at recent years and also let wine consumers know about how the 2021 vintage is starting out, and what it may ultimately mean for this year’s crop.

The 2020 vintage for Northern California can only be described as lost, especially for red varietals. The early and active fires across the west and specifically in Napa, Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties created such widespread damage from smoke taint that little red wine was made. We have recently heard that some big-name wineries who thought they had salvaged a crop have since determined the wine they made was tainted and they have sold it off in bulk or just dumped it. While there are still some reports of specific small vineyard lots that were spared, we will need more time before those wines are assessed for their quality.

White wines faired a bit better. Some of the early release whites and dry roses we have tasted are quite good living up to our expectations from previous non-smokey years for individual bottlings. The white wines that were made and that are free of smoke taint may in fact provide a life line for wineries allowing them to keep wine in the market place from 2020. Stay tuned as this is a developing story that will evolve as more wine is released or dumped.

As we have said many times from 2015 on, Europe has been on a very good run of vintages. With consistent and near perfect growing conditions the “Old World” has turned out wines that are great to superb over this string of years with many of the later release reds generating huge interest in the futures market.

As the saying goes that was then and this is now…. 2021 Is off to a rough start on “the Continent”. The spring has been cool to cold and wet, never a good scenario for wine grapes. There are areas across Europe that have suffered killing frosts. Even areas that have dodged the frost “bullet” are dealing with very cool and damp growing conditions that have vignerons fretting about what may come of this year. While shatter, the condition of the grape buds being broken apart by heavy rain, and frost can have far-reaching effects into the growing year many times the damage can not be fully judged until the crop is further along. We hope for the sake of our friends around Europe that more of the crop will be salvaged than it now appears.

The situation here at home is not off to a great start either but for the opposite of conditions. Most of the west has been experiencing significant drought. While the appellations of the Northwest are in a little better shape than those of California, there is no way to slice it other than to say it is dry. With near average snow pack through most of the winter growers in Idaho, Washington and Oregon will likely make it through the summer with water for irrigation when needed.

In California though severe water restrictions are certain. Irrigation will be held to a minimum. For all of the West the story is being complicated by the coming heat wave this week. It is very early in the year for temperatures like what is predicted for this week. Highs in the Wine Country of Northern California are expected to exceed the century mark, here in the Northwest mid-90s are forecast. This early in the year the canopy of the grape vine is not yet developed so little protection is afforded to the young and tender grape bundles. Hopefully this heat spike is short lived enough to prevent significant damage. We will see. Also, there is ample time for the vintage to get back to normal here in the US, we have our fingers crossed.

Around the west too, many are concerned about the risk of wild fires. After the devastating losses last year all of us in the business of wine are hoping for a break from the fire and smoke and the chance to again complete a good growing year.

One final note on the fire damaged crop of 2020. We heard some jokingly suggest that smoke tainted wine would be marketed, trying to make the smoke flavor sound like something to be enjoyed. We laughed it off, surely no one would be foolish enough to try that. We were wrong. We have learned recently that some wineries and private label purveyors are trying to sell smoky wines. Don’t be fooled into buying even one bottle! Smoke tainted wine is horrible, and no matter how many marketing dollars are put behind this ill-advised push the wines will remain horrible.

As the growing year develops, we will continue to report in on how the crop is progressing, and we hope conditions get better for all our grape growing friends.

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George Balling is co-owner with his wife, Mary Lancaster, of the dinner party, a wine and gift shop in Coeur d’Alene by Costco. The dinner party has won the award for best wine shop in North Idaho twice, including for 2018.