Wines & Vines

Collector's Edition WINES&VINES 125 VINTAGE 2018 Grape yields have been increasing gradually each year, leading to extra fruit on the market. Grape prices have remained steady or increased slightly, depending on cultivar. Wineries have been at max capacity. Labor availability is always a concern, but larger com- panies are mechanizing more to accommodate. In fact, there was more use of mechanical harvest- ing in 2018 than in prior years, and many are reporting excellent fruit quality from mechanically harvested fruit. WASHINGTON Vicky Scharlau Executive director Washington Winegrowers Association The 2018 harvest was good and big and plenty — big berries, big clusters and super high quality across all tiers. Overall, the grow- ing season was warm and frost- free. We had a late, wet spring, followed by a warm summer. The days were routinely warmer than normal, but nights were refresh- ingly cool, with 45° F to 55° F temperature swings. Growers who were on top of early-season sprays were suc- cessful, while those who skipped or extended spray windows paid the price — as always. There were not a lot of changes in grape prices, but demand is sig- nificantly lower, so prices will most likely follow. Yields were above average, with unsold fruit remaining after harvest. Because yields were higher than average, and labor is still tight, it was another big year of additional mechanization efforts and a lot more selective harvest, destem- ming and mechanical harvesting. Pioneers in Polyethylene for Wine 25 Years of Experience Thousands of Tanks in Use 208-549-1861 • www.pascopoly.com Tanks 225 to 4500 Gallons QUALITY WINE ALWAYS TOP PRIORITY KiLR-CHiLR ™ Temp Control managed white wine fermentation, storage, and stabilization patented St. Regulus Automatic Fermentor patented managed red wine fermentation, self-pressing Deer in a vineyard in Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, where growers had to contend with spring floods and summer wildfires.

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