Hot, Hot and Hotter

Here is a bit of information as to what has been going on in the vineyards and my back yard...but most of the Locals wineries do not seem to be panicking...yet...

Sonoma County vineyards appear to have made it through the recent heat wave without any major damage.

Grape varieties like cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel actually thrive in triple digit temperatures.

“When it gets above 95 degrees, you're not going to get much photosynthesis, and therefore sugar accumulation,” said Nick Frey, executive director of the Sonoma County Grape Growers Association.

Frey told KCBS’s Larry Chiaroni that good vineyard management can guarantee a grape vine’s survival even when the weather gets very hot.

“Early in the morning, and later in the evening, photosynthesis will kick in,” Frey said. “If you have the water and the vine doesn't get too stressed, it can tolerate heat fairly well.”

That means enough shade to keep the grapes out of direct sunlight, and an efficient irrigation system. Grapes, like most plants, have some strategies of their own for coping with extreme temperatures.

“There's some pores on the bottom of the leaf,” he said, “and essentially if you have stress, those pores close, and that restricts the loss of water from the vine, so if you didn't have that, the leaf would probably just desiccate.”

The heat wave should not affect the size of this year's harvest, but growers nonetheless expect a smaller crop than last year, about ten percent less, Frey said.

On the bright side, the harvest in 2003 and 2004 were 20 percent below normal, so there are still more grapes this year than in previous years.

Comments

[Garysadsshirl]

For some food allergies it’s as simple as not eating the food anymore. Other food allergies are harder to diagnose and harder to avoid. You should see a doctor that specializes in allergies.

[wine grapes]

Some great information on how the heat effects the grapes and harvest. Hopefully it begins to cool down a bit. Least we know are Cabs and Zins will be ripe and juicy. Love the blog! I added it to my links directory on my wine website! Very informative and interesting to someone like me who is interested in what the wineries are doing and how they are crafting their wines.