124 WINES&VINES Collector's Edition
VINTAGE 2018
The growing season started off
warm and early, but then cooled
off a bit and slowed down. We
had a warm summer that wasn't
too hot, and the nice weather ex-
tended into the fall for some
good hang time. Vineyards with
low spots were challenged with
some frost in late September and
mid-October. With good spray
programs, mildew shouldn't have
been an issue. A mild winter and
ideal conditions during the grow-
ing season led to high pressure
for both bud mites in the early
season and spider mites during
the summer. Birds during harvest
were extremely bad. The level of
starlings eating grapes in our
vineyards was mind-blowing.
Higher yields created tank space
issues for wineries, which is a
good thing compared to last year.
As always, labor availability is an
issue and will continue to be an
issue for all agriculture in the
United States.
OREGON
Patty Skinkis
Associate professor and
viticulture extension specialist
Oregon State University
Yields were higher than average
across all of western Oregon,
including the Willamette Valley
and valleys of southern Oregon.
Reported quality is very high
across the region, and many
think it will be one of the best
vintages in recent history. The
majority of the spring, summer
and fall were warmer than the
long-term average but on par
with the past few years. We did
not have major heat spikes near
veraison this year as in 2015 or
2017. The harvest window was
long, as we had ideal September
and October weather (warm and
dry), and due to the dry summer
and fall, disease pressure (spe-
cifically powdery mildew) was
low.
Brandon Moss, assistant winemaker at Gramercy Cellars in Walla, Walla, Wash.
GP188888
(2)
PACKAGING BEYOND
THE GLASS CEILING
WEST COAST
info@globalpackage.net
707 224-5670
globalpackage.net
EAST COAST
usa@estal.info
305 443-7451
www.estal.com/en
GLASS
BOTTLE
SPECIALISTS
Select from our
premium bottles or
custom design the
ideal bottle, pewter
label or other
packaging solution
to promote and sell
your flagship wines.
