Wine harvest Central Coast California

October 2, 11:35 AMInternational Wine ExaminerKevin Lynch

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Paso Robles, CA -- “Don't knock the weather. If it didn't change once in a while, nine out of ten people couldn't start a conversation.” -- ‘Kin’ Hubbard (1868-1930 American humorist)

Just as nine out of ten people in the wine world wouldn’t be able to make wine. Nor would this correspondent have a story without talking about the weather. So here is a word about the weather.

Right now the weather is about the most fascinating topic in those places where grapes are being harvested. (Unless you’re in the biz then the chat is about brix.) Harvest is the season of paradox. Extremes in the weather can ruin a year’s worth of effort, or not. Something as seemingly benign as a late rain shower can be as big a disaster as a down pour. Spikes of hot and cold can spell ruin, or they can be beneficial. Hail? Well, hail sucks anytime. In short, anything other than halcyon days can be problematic. 

It’s the weather that makes harvest so difficult, so risky, so damn odd. Generally, if one miscalculates and picks too early they end up with wines that may be too acidic or lacking in fruit and structure. If they go too long they can end up with no harvest at all due to a freak storm or the sugar levels shoot too high thus making for a cloying, high alcohol (hot) wine. While wine makers have a lot of science, experience and technology to assist them in avoiding picking at the wrong time there are just some things, like the weather, you can’t predict. For most producers it is a calculated risk but there are occasions when the weather screws a winemaker over.

Using the recent two weeks stretch of days here in Paso Robles, CA as an example, the weather has been a lamb to some and a lion for others. Early to mid September saw spikes in heat up into the hundreds. While this is not unusual for the region the spotty frosts of this last spring along with a bit of rain here and extra cool nights there, has meant the difference between a vineyard full of plump, ripe grapes for some and a lot full of raisins for others. There are mainly two victims here. The growers who irrigate and the grapes that got full sun. The hardest hit have been those who grape growers who irrigate. Roots that have to go deep for their water can withstand fluctuations in temperature. Sadly, irrigated vines cannot withstand as much. Their root systems never have to struggle or dig too deeply into the earth in search of moisture making them less rooted or hearty. Wide temperature swings rarely result in the death of the vine but they do make for dehydrated grapes. This means low yield which mean less wine. Less wine means less revenue and overly fruity, high alcohol wine.

There are actions a winemaker can take once the wine is in the winery to salvage a freaky harvest. How deeply they chose to go into their bag of tricks is a matter of skill, integrity or guile.  

Native Food & Wine -- visits date farms in Indio, CA

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