Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/400294
W i n e s & V i n e s n O V e M B e r 2 0 1 4 115 N E W S O F G R A P E S A N D W I N E S I N E A S T E R N N O R T H A M E R I C A Harvest Nears End in Midwest, East Icy winter, spring frosts and late summer storms create challenges L ancaster, Pa.—No question about it: Last winter's extremely cold tempera- tures and the late arrival of spring have had a major impact on the quantity and quality of the wine grape harvest across the Midwest and the East. That said, as always, the specific details depend on loca- tion, cultivars planted and past practices by growers. In Texas, a string of intense storms from the remnants of a Pacific hurricane was the last major challenge of a season that was not easy for farmers. "It was not a rockin' chair kind of year. It was pretty hard for all of our crops," said Bobby Cox, a grower and veteran consulting winemaker. "Mother Nature was just grouchy. We had a really beautiful August, but once September hit, it got a little dicey." Neal Newsom, owner of Newsom Vine- yards near Plains, Texas, also said it was a challenging year, and he was only able to harvest around 30% of a normal crop. New- som owns 120 acres of vines and manages another 20 acres. He said his yields ranged from 3 tons per acre to as a little as 500 pounds or nothing. He said in April the High Plains AVA saw a hard freeze of temperatures as low as 21° F, which had him fearful the potential harvest would be wiped out once more. "Two weeks after that freeze I was afraid it was going to be just like 2013, so I was actually quite pleased to make what we did," he said. The "polar vortex" of the 2013-14 winter had a big impact on vineyards in Ohio. Northeastern Ohio, home to many of the larger plantings of vinifera grapes in the state, saw multiple freeze-thaw events prior to the temperatures dropping well below zero. According to Imed Dami, associate professor of viticulture at The Ohio State University, the entire state saw close to 100% bud damage on vinifera grapes. In southern areas, where growers typically do not hill up around the vines before winter arrives, vines died to the ground. Even in northern parts of the state, where some growers do hill up, vines still had major damage. Dami noted, "The day before the polar vortex, the temperature was in the 50ºs (F), with no snow, and then dropped to -12°, -15° overnight. In many places, I N T H E N E W S p 1 1 5 G R A P E G R O W I N G p 1 1 7 W I N E M A k I N G p 1 2 2 Bins of Vidal Blanc are harvested Oct. 8 at Indian Springs Vineyard in Shenandoah County, Va. Winemaker David Kuhlken (third from right) joins the staff sorting Tempranillo at Pedernales Cellars in Stonewall, Texas. NATUrAL SOLE PHOTOgrAPHy