Killer Heat Wave June 19, 2017 12:07

Growing grapes has a lot to do with weather. Here in Dry Creek Valley we have near perfect weather for growing excellent world class wines.  But weather charts its own course.

This week we are having 5 consecutive days of 101F+  weather. Some days as high as 108F. 

There is going to be some damage before the fog rolls in this weekend. Most of the established vines will weather this extreme. But I am watching the 2 acres that I budded earlier this year  The new buds and their growth is tender and susceptible to what is going on.  On my vineyard walk this morning there were already some totally welted and burned growth.  I am afraid the “take”, new buds that survive, will not be where it would have been without this heatwave.

This is tender young bud grown.

There is no changing the weather so as a grape grower you know to take the good with the bad. This period of extreme heat is not going to hurt the 2017 vintage, but it will kill some young vines.