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126 Wines&Vines January 2015 vintage 2014 Animal predation caused prob- lems throughout North America. Jack Johnston with the Maryland Grape Growers Association said bees and other winged insects tar- geted ripening clusters, "damag- ing the fruit big time, nearly as much as the birds," he said. "They puncture the skins and suck the juice, and what's left just shrivels up—looks just like rot. We apply Carbaryl (insecticide) at the first sign of damage and hope for the best." The High Plains AVA of Texas suffered another spring frost that reduced yields on some early va- rieties, but wind machines were used for the first time, and that minimized losses. In Ohio, special- ized hilling equipment to bury vines and protect them from the harsh weather saved several vinif- era vineyards. A bright spot in the East was the Long Island region of New York, which enjoyed "above-aver- age yields and good quality, ripe fruit." A dry summer in the area required some growers to irrigate, but thd dry heat also minimized disease pressure. Growers in the Pacific North- west had little to complain about this year. "It was certainly an amazing growing season," said Dale Jeffers, vineyard manager at Skyline Vineyards near Nampa, Idaho. "We had a long growing season that started in the spring and extended into the fall. We couldn't have asked for more per- fect conditions." Patty Skinkis, the Oregon viti- culture extension specialist and assistant professor with Oregon State University, reported, "Fruit was beautiful and ripe throughout all parts of the state," and growers faced no challenges. "Only major successes occurred with a higher yield, great quality and no disease issues." Napa County (Calif.) largely shrugged off the Aug. 24 earth- quake that left cracks in the ground beneath some vineyards but didn't impede most winemak- ers who had to quickly deal with 415 293 5700 | bararch.com W I N E R I E S C L U B H O U S E S R E S O R T S C U S T O M H O M E S L AW W I N E R Y PA S O R O B L E S , C A Winemaker David Kuhlken (third from right) joins the staff of Pedernales Cellars in sorting Tempranillo grown at the estate winery in the Texas Hill Country.