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90 WINES&VINES November 2018 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS WINE EAST W et, cool weather has af- fected vineyards from North Carolina to the Fin- ger Lakes in New York. While most of the wineries in North Carolina had started harvest in mid-August and were finished picking before Hurricane Florence arrived Sept. 14., persistent rain has been an issue throughout the growing sea- son across much of the Eastern U.S. Tony Wolf, professor of viticul- ture at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, reported that it had been a difficult year for grow- ers in Virginia, primarily because of the "conveyor belt of moisture" that has brought rain north through the state all season. "We've had more than 40 inches of rain in Win- chester: 20 inches in May and June, and more than 20 inches since then. It's hard to get things ripe under these conditions," Wolf said. Harvest across Virginia is some- what earlier than usual, and some growers have picked red grapes early to make rosé wines. Yields are slightly down and growers are fight- ing downy mildew to keep canopies clean. Jennifer McCloud, owner of Chrysalis Vineyards in Middleburg, Va., said: "We've had to be super- diligent about spraying. We have a huge crop of Norton. It's the most resistant to diseases but this year we even had to do some spraying on those vines. We've picked the whites and are crossing our fingers about the reds." According to Phineas Deford, owner and manager of special proj- ects at Boordy Vineyards in Hydes, Md., most of the white varieties at their Long Green Vineyard at the winery north of Baltimore were picked early, as was the Cabernet Franc, which will be used in a rosé. "It's the reds at South Mountain I'm worried about," he said. Their South Mountain Vineyard is located in the Blue Ridge mountains in western Maryland. "The flavors (of the whites) are nice, with lower sugars, but not as much fruit," he continued. "We had 7 inches of rain during bloom, and that annihilated the crop. Last year we harvested 28 tons of Albarino; we got 7 tons this year. My Dad (Rob Deford) said this is the worst year in 25 years." Challenging growing sea- son in New York New York has also had a wetter than normal growing season. Hans Wal- ter-Peterson, viticulture specialist at Cornell Cooperative Extension, re- ported that in addition to the in- creased rainfall, the humidity level during September was higher. "The numbers don't tell the whole story," he said, "because the amount (of rain and humidity) we've had and the timing has made things more difficult. We're seeing more sour rot, more bunch rot than last year." Tim Martinson, senior extension associate at Cornell University's de- partment of horticulture, confirmed Walter-Peterson's report, and added: "The wet weather has brought warmer night temperatures with it, and the warm and humid nights are contributing factors for the patho- gens taking off that cause fruit rot." As far as yields are concerned, Mar- tinson noted that "It looks like a lot of fruit in the vineyards, but it's not as much as last year. This year is more average." Because of the additional mois- ture, growers are harvesting grapes at lower Brix than they might like, Walter-Peterson said. "They're pick- ing earlier than usual; they'd rather pick clean fruit than wait until after it rains. There's plenty of fruit that looks fine and can hang for a while. You can pick Riesling at 20° Brix with higher acids and have a nice wine. Riesling's versatility is handy in a year like this," he said. —Linda Jones McKee Wine East Covering Eastern North America Damp Vintage in the Eastern United States EASTERN WINE LABS Serving the Analytical needs of East Coast Wineries WWW.EASTERNWINELABS.COM Ph 609-859-4302 Cell 609-668-2854 chemist@easternwinelabs.com AOAC Member EasternWineLab_Mar09.qxp 1/22/09 9:47 AM Page 1 - B E C O PA D - Y E A S T & E N Z Y M E S - C R U S H PA D E Q U I P M E N T - S T E R I L E F I LT R AT I O N - W I N E R Y H O S E - O A K A LT E R N AT I V E S Basic Hoe comes with a Hillup and a Takeaway Blade. Additional attachments include .3 Tooth Cultivator, Undercutter Blade, Rotary head, " NEW " Rolling Cultivator and "Vine Auger". The Green Hoe Company, Inc. 6645 West Main Road, Portland, NY 14769 PHONE (716) 792-9433 FAX (716) 792-9434 WWW.GREENHOECOMPANY.COM GREEN GRAPE HOE