Typically this time of year local vineyards are filled with pickers harvesting their grapes. However, the harvest is delayed because of this year's odd weather. "I'd like a crystal ball though. It would be handy," said Mark Nichol, Sweet Cheeks Wine Maker. That would come in handy right about now for Oregon wine makers. The end of September usually marks the beginning of harvest, but local wineries haven't even started.
So why and when will these vineyards be filled with pickers? "That's the million dollar question right now is, who knows," said J.P. Valot, Assistant Wine Maker Silvan Ridge/Hinman Vineyards. Nobody knows because the weather has been unpredictable all year. A cooler spring followed by a summer that saw just a handful of sporadic heat spells means some grapes are hanging onto the vine a little longer in hopes for some sun.
"It's looks like there's a couple of great weather on the way and hopefully that'll get everything straightened out and we'll have some great grapes to pull," said Sasha Kadey, King Estate Winery. Wine makers say they need at least three or four weeks of the sun before harvesting. For now, many of vineyards are dropping fruit, so fewer clusters will need energy to grow. They're also opening up canopies to let air flow. "So it keeps us from running around crazy right now with the whole, the sky is falling mentality," Kadey said.
They admit though the vintages from 2010 will be missing some big flavors. "We're certainly not going to be getting any big style-type wines, aromatic elegant styles. I'm not concerned at this point in time," Nichol said. Valot says if you've been in the business as long as he has, "You get used to it, and then you learn from mistakes."They say often the most challenging years produce the best wines. Wine makers say there have been other years such as 1997, 1999 and 2007 when they saw identical weather patterns. They say those years turned out fine and another reason why they're not panicking yet.
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