The weather and the winegrape crop

I don't usually write about crop yields, tonnage, brix readings, and those other technical things involved in growing and harvesting premium winegrapes. But for you wine wonks who want to hear a bit about the 2010 vintage in Napa Valley, I received a press release today from the Napa Valley Vintners association that puts a huge happy face on the harvest and our "unusual growing season." That's one way to spin it.

Even though the farmers admit it's been a crappy weather year (and I'm reading between the lines here), one grapegrower quipped, "This year was the year of the tiger...we had to be on our paws or claws." The board president of the NV grapegrowers group summed it up in this optimistic fashion: "In the Napa Valley, we have the best vineyard managers and the best field crews in the world –– they know what to do and they can handle anything."

Still, tonnage is down in some Napa Valley vineyards by nearly 20%, which is also the case in Sonoma County. We had an early rain over the region two days ago, and more sprinkles and clouds are expected this weekend. There are still many grapes to be picked, and those are not great conditions for bringing in the crop. Crews are working 24/7 to try to beat the precipitation, and nobody in the biz is getting much sleep this week (or last week, for that matter.... or the week before that).

Yet they're a cheery bunch, those farmers and winemakers. The NVV board president put it this way: "Every winemaker I've talked to is thrilled with what they are tasting in the initial stages." So the yield is down, but the quality of the berries being nibbled straight off the vine sounds pretty good.