Below is a look at what was picked, when, and where in Washington during October. Many growers and winemakers wrapped up harvest this year between the middle and end of October, although some did pick into November.

The hallmark of this harvest season was certainly the cool down that took place in September and October, where heat accumulation more or less flatlined. This is well shown in the chart of Growing Degree Days (GDD), a measure of heat accumulation, from Washington State University. This allowed picking to occur at a measured pace.

Winemaker Trey Busch of Sleight of Hand Cellars in the Walla Walla Valley sent along the following table of pick dates over the last three years. For perspective, 2015 was a hot year (again, see the GDD chart above). 2016 had an extremely warm start but then more of a normal(ish) final few months. 2017 had above average heat accumulation during the height of the summer but then cooled down considerably in September and October. Here are Busch’s notes:

As you can see, there is variability in the pick dates across years. While some of the 2017 dates line up with 2016, most are 10-14 days (or more) later.

I’ll post additional thoughts on the growing season in a subsequent harvest report.

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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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The information in the table below is aggregated from personal correspondence with growers and winemakers, as well as information posted on Twitter and Facebook. It is not intended to be comprehensive but rather is intended as a snapshot of what is going on around the state. If you wish to send data for your grapes or vineyards (or correct any of the information below), please email me at wawinereport@gmail.com, leave a comment here, or leave a comment on the WWR Facebook page.