Harvest in Washington this past week saw wet weather along with a continuation of the cool temperatures from the end of September. For most I spoke or e-mailed with, neither seemed to present significant concerns.

Bob Betz of Betz Family Winery said of the rain, “This hasn’t been a problem for us with the mid to late season reds with thicker skins. We’ve had no rot, no wet grapes, no soggy bottoms of the picking bins so we don’t have a problem with rain that may have fallen.”

Betz has been glad to see the cooler temperatures that have come along with the wetter weather. “We’re glad we didn’t panic in early to mid September and pick too much too quickly,” he said. “We were patient, tasted and sampled frequently and waited for flavor…We stayed our course and, in retrospect, are really glad we did. We heard some angst from some who regret picking too early. The mid to late September cool down has eliminated the flavor lag. Things have balanced out and we are really pleased.”

Over on Goose Ridge, winemaker Kendall Mix of Goose Ridge Estate Vineyard and Winery said last weekend’s rains had minimal impact. “The rain only impacted us on one day,” he said (Saturday). “After the winds picked up, everything dried out very quickly and we picked right up where we left off.” Mix said the wind has contributed to some shrivel in Syrah and other varieties. “Flavors in the reds are progressing nicely with the cool night time temperatures, but have stalled a little in Riesling,” he added.

During the warmth of the summer and into mid-September, Mix expected this year’s harvest to be quite different. “Early on, it seemed like harvest was going to go gang busters right off the back,” he said.  “Everything looked like it was ripening up at the same time and we were going to be in a mad scramble to bring everything in at once. Then it never really materialized.”

Betz agreed. “The battle plan we had before harvest changed as did the weather: we had thought things would be incredibly compressed.  But with the cool down it has given the vines a chance to slow down, accumulate flavor, and remain balanced.”

Mix believes the change in temperatures at the end of September will benefit some. “I think it has worked out that the better reds are going to come from higher cropped vines that ripened after the nights cooled off,” he said. “The lower cropped reds were harvested when it was still warm, and
had lots of sugar but maybe not as much flavor.”

Resident winemaker Gilles Nicault at Long Shadows, who sources fruit from The Benches in the Horse Heaven Hills as well as throughout the Columbia Valley, said that the change in weather had some other positive effects. “This cooler weather has helped to slow down the pace at the winery and gave us time to bring our full attention to the first leg of crush,” he said.

Nicault said that his vineyards got between 0.5 (Yakima Valley) to 2 inches (Walla Walla Valley) of rain last weekend but that he did not see it presenting any issues. However, he added the caveat, “We now need the weather to get more stable and it seems it will. The temperatures won’t go past the 70 degrees but we are expecting dry weather.” 

Nicault noted that acid levels were dropping in Riesling so they were picking the fruit earlier. “Most of the other varieties are doing okay on acid but are lower than the last three years indeed,” he said.

At Double Canyon Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills, grower William Beightol said, “Up to the point two weeks ago brix numbers were traveling ahead of normal, but with the change in weather they have really leveled off in the 23 to 24 range. This should help us not rush harvesting the fruit prior to getting the flavors the winemakers are after.”

However, Beightol said that the cooler weather did present some potential issues. “The big concern for us right now is not seeing a lot of warm weather on the forecast for October,” he said. “It is a very exciting vintage from a winegrower’s perspective, but we will always need a good October to make the best out of any year.”

Picture of Stillwater Creek Vineyard Merlot being pressed courtesy of Adams Bench Winery. Follow the winery on Facebook here. All other pictures by Richard Duval.

See information on the Washington State Growing Degree Days here.

See monthly forecast for Yakima Valley (Sunnyside), Red Mountain (Benton City), Walla Walla, Paterson, and Mattawa.

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