Wine 101: 5 reasons this year’s harvest is making Sonoma and Napa county winemakers nervous
With wine harvest running roughly a month behind schedule, winemakers are on edge. They’re anxious their sleep-deprived growers won’t be able to pick all the grapes before the autumn rains come.
With my Wine 101 column, I share what I know about Wine Country to make it less intimidating and more of an adventure. Today I want to give you insight into this year’s erratic harvest with five reasons winemakers have frayed nerves.
1. Pinpointing physiological ripeness is particularly challenging because of this year’s abnormal growing season. Physiological ripeness means all parts of the grape are ripe, including the skin, seeds and stems. This means that even if a grape is sweet, it may need more time on the vine. Winemakers determine physiological ripeness by testing the sugar and pH levels, and by sampling the berries.
2. This year winemakers and growers are anxious for a sign of ripeness, so they’re tethered to their refractometer. This is a tool that gauges the sweetness of grapes with a measurement in brix. Ripeness is typically anywhere between 18 and 27 brix, depending on the varietal. For example, a Napa cabernet is typically picked at 26 or 27 brix.
3. This year the ripening of varietals is out of sync, throwing off growers. In the Northern Hemisphere, the schedule of picking typically starts with pinot gris, then moves through sauvignon blanc, pinot noir and chardonnay in August and September; chenin blanc and viognier in September; merlot, syrah/shiraz and cabernet in September and October; and cabernet sauvignon through early November. But this year, due to spring rains and a cool summer, the schedule is scrambled. Many are picking pinot and chardonnay in October, for instance, and some expect to be picking cabernet sauvignon until the middle of November.
4. With tractors strung up in lights, vineyards are primed for night picking, when cooler temperatures preserve aromas and flavors and stabilize sugar levels. But picking at night is causing sleep deprivation among crews due to the condensed harvest. While harvest is typically spread over two to three months, this year the bulk of grapes are being picked in October.
5. Deciding on the timing of the pick is challenging in an abnormal year. It’s the single most important decision winemakers and growers make during the year.
Harvest is always unpredictable, but this year’s extended harvest makes it even more so. In fact, the 2023 vintage has earned the moniker “bottled chaos.”
You can reach wine writer Peg Melnik at 707-521-5310 or peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pegmelnik.
