Grape Harvest 2023
Grape Harvest 2023 has been dubbed the year of the farmer and the year of the winemaker, according to Chuck Carlson of Carlson Wines in the Santa Maria Valley. I had the unique opportunity to meet with him and Ricki Hill of Labyrinth Wines last week to talk about harvest and any issues that may arise from the heavy rainfall recorded earlier this year.
I pulled into Westgate, also known as Vineland, due to the set up of buildings housing garagiste-style winemakers in Santa Barbara County and had to wait for a forklift unloading bins of fruit for Lane Tanner of Lumen Wines. Ricki was receiving the fruit for his wife as she had harvested Pinot Gris grapes earlier that morning. If you have never smelled a winery during harvest, you miss out on one of life’s richest smells. I love the smell of fermenting grapes, and I also love the smell of freshly pressed grapes, too. Pinot Noir was my favorite of all. As a winemaker, I wanted to capture that aroma in a bottle and sell it as a perfume. #truestory
Wine Grape Harvest, Episode #34
Listen along as we talk about harvest, issues with harvest, and the abundance to come next year in the vineyards with the surplus of rain from this year and expected into next year with another El Nino weather pattern slatted for California.
Harvest Issues
As we talked for this episode, you can hear the beeps and sounds from a working winery in the background. Ricki talked about shatter and powdery mildew in the vineyards due to excessive rainfall, while Chuck talked about the extra maintenance in the vines from abundant water along with a cooler growing season. Powdery Mildew can cause crop losses and have negative impacts on wine quality. Shatter refers to the phenomenon wherein a grape cluster fails to develop into maturity. The grape harvest will be set back three to six weeks and into December for some of the Bordeaux varietals they both produce. Although we love the rain and need the rain, we need enough warm and sunny days to produce the fruit desired to make great wine. The sun helps the plants grow and reach all levels of importance with veraison, ph, ta, and brix. Without #mothernature’s influence, the vines won’t ripen to the desired levels and readings, and the wines’ end result will reflect the temperature differences.
Harvest Grapes
With more than two decades of winemaking experience, Ricki and Chuck work in some of the most esteemed vineyards along the coast of California. #BienNacido #HappyCanyon to name a couple.
Along with the vineyards, the viticulture areas are also the best in California. #StaRitaHills #santamariavalley #sanmiguel #pasorobles #ednavalley #arroyogrande
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sta._Rita_Hills_AVA
Last but not least, a few of the grapes used to make their excellent wines are #petitiesirah #chardonnay #pinotnoir #zinfandel #tempranillo #cabernetfranc #cabernetsauvignon #touriganacional #syrah
https://winefolly.com/grapes/chardonnay/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinot_noir
To learn more about Chuck Carlson and Ricki Hill’s wines and how to taste them or, better yet, purchase them, visit their websites at:
https://www.labyrinthwinery.com
Enjoy! Salute! Slainte! Bottoms Up! Clink!
