Winexpression

In case you haven’t heard, there was major flooding over the weekend in Napa and Sonoma Counties, leaving some vineyards deep under water. Fortunately, the latest storm to move through today won’t have as disastrous effect as the storm late last week that broke levies in Guerneville, and overflowed the Russian and Napa Rivers.

Most people remember El Nino that hit in the winter of 1997 / 1998 and as grapes were harvested in the summer and fall of 1998, it was apparent that the effects of this major storm would be felt by the wine industry. Those on the hillsides were somewhat protected, but when levees broke and rivers overflowed, saturating valley floor fruit, we were left with sub standard grapes that most vinters had difficulty crafting quality wine from. Those that thinned their crops early, and took other measures to salvage their harvest, were only partially happy with the results.

As wine enthusiasts, we know that the weather is key for a good vintage, and everything plays a role in the final outcome of the juice we covet. Science continues to gain understanding into the weather patterns that surround the earth and they are able to predict changes in them. But, however useful that information is, every vineyard manager and winery owner knows that they are still at the mercy of these storms every year. We’re hoping for the best each year, and this year is no exception.

Thankfully, the flooding so far shouldn’t have much of an effect on the doormant vines.
Read [Mercury News]

This entry was posted on Monday, January 2nd, 2006 at 9:19 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.