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PUD question brings out both sides
Banned books and
the library
Hybrid car owners
and proud of it
Wineries
experiencing
a bountiful harvest |
A wet spring and a hot summer mean wine grapes are
flourishing throughout the state; local wineries begin harvest |
By Amy Grennell, Newberg Graphic
Reporter
E-mail Amy at agrennell@eaglenewspapers.com
|
Even though it’s an early harvest out in the vineyards this
year, area wineries and vineyards are expecting another great season despite a potential
record high crop statewide.
With a cool start in the spring and a summer of sunshine the grapes are ready
to be picked and vineyards find themselves in the fifth quality vintage year in the
Willamette Valley.
Harvest is beginning five to 10 days earlier than usual. For many vineyards,
rain in the second week of September provided relief, but if the grapes are left on the
vine too long in the hotter-than-average fall weather they are at risk of becoming
shriveled.
The more ripening and hang-time grapes have, the higher the resulting sugar
content and the richer batch of grapes from which to make more flavorful wines.
In the Newberg-Dundee area the first grapes harvested were generally those
for sparkling wine with Argyle Winery getting busy as one of the first in the vineyards.
Other pinot noir producers began harvesting in the last 10 days and will
continue for several weeks at some locations.
According to the Oregon Wine Advisory Board, an early harvest has several
advantages: harvesters are able to pick the grapes at the peak of ripeness without having
to contend with the hungry birds and damaging rains that often come later in the year.
However, travel to many of the vineyards in the area and you will hear propane cannons,
the devices winery workers use to scare away the birds.
Pinot noir is Oregon’s best known grape, accounting for more than 50
percent of Oregon’s acreage. Pinot gris is Oregon’s major white wine with nearly
15 percent of the harvested acreage last year.
Allison Whiteside, proprietor at Bella Vida Vineyard in Dundee, said its
harvest is typically the second week of October, but they began picking today.
“It’s early because of the warm summer and it’s just been a
lot of heat units and they are not associated with Oregon and that’s why there is
late-ripening weather,” Whiteside said.
Despite the hot weather, Whiteside said, “it’s going to be a very good
year — because of that heat there are really good flavors.”
According to the Oregon Agricultural Statistics Service, the wine grape
forecast for August 2003 was 25,000 tons of wine grapes compared to 22,000 last year.
“If this forecast were realized that would be a record production for
Oregon,” said Janice Goodwin, a state statistician for the OASS who stressed the
final numbers won’t be compiled until October.
The reason for the higher crop is due to additional planted acres of
grapevines coming into production throughout the state.
Betty O’Brien, executive director of the Oregon Wine Advisory Board,
said that the potential excess of grapes in the market could make for great quality wine
but unhappy growers, in particular independent growers trying to sell their grapes.
“It’s creating an imbalance in supply and demand for grapes,”
she said, adding that there are more vines being planted than wineries starting up.
“One of the really bright spots is there was an oversupply of pinot gris grapes last
year ... (due in part to extensive marketing efforts) this year they’ve all been
sold.”
Despite an excess of grapes, those who purchase them have more to pick from
throughout the state, making the quality of wine higher, O’Brien said.
To keep wine grape quality high “green harvesting” or
“dropping crop” is commonly done in Oregon vineyards in July and August
essentially thinning the grapes prior to harvest in order to control yields and enhance
quality and flavors.
Last year’s tons per acre average was about 2.3 tons.
“We have a very happy site and our plants want 4 to 5 tons and we cut to
2 to 3,” Whiteside said.
They also thinned heavily this year at Sokol Blosser Winery.
“We do that every year to do quality (wine),” said Susan Sokol
Blosser, president of the winery. “The yield we are looking for is two and a half
tons per acre in pinot and pinot gris about three tons.”
Sokol Blosser began picking grapes from first-harvest vines on Sept. 13.
“Things are going very fast and the weather has been so warm,” she
said.
Winemakers aren’t able to tell the quality of wines that may result from
this year’s harvest yet, but are optimistic.
“It is too early to tell but the grapes look very healthy,” Sokol
Blosser said. |
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From Sept. 27,
2003, Newberg Graphic
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