Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/437909
January 2015 Wines&Vines 135 vintage 2014 rain in mid-september did not stall harvest as in the previous year; per- haps because soils were very dry. harvest finished only slightly ahead of average by mid-october. Weather: Winter cold injury in some vineyards. spring was warm and very dry, but nights cooler than average. only seven days saw maximum temperature above 100º F (the average is 17 days). rain on sept. 19 did not stall har- vest as it did last year. Pests/diseases: powdery mil- dew started late but was scattered. mites and leafhoppers also were late but scattered. the amount of sour or summer bunch rot was above average in Zinfandel. suPPly/demand: prices soft- ened in 2014. minimums were of- fered, as were very low offers for unsigned fruit (see page 20). mus- cat types, Cabernet and quality reds for blends were in demand. teChnology/teChniques: interest in machine-pruned vines, new spray technology; evapotrans- piration/soil moisture monitors and gps mapping. safety equipment and programs to meet new heat law. Challenges: regulatory and input costs up; labor supply. Water and heat stress rules. Varieties: Lodi is competitive for quality/value. growers need higher yields and/or lower costs with same quality. replanting of old and some new vineyards planted. SAn LuiS oBiSPo AnD SAnTA BARBARA CounTieS Jason Haas Partner and general manager Tablas Creek Vineyard Paso roBles: paso robles held up well despite our third consecu- tive year of drought. Quality was excellent, and quantities only a lit- tle below average. our yields were actually up slightly compared to 2013 (though still a touch below average). Clusters and berries were small, and concentration ex- cellent. harvest was about two weeks early and largely concen- trated in september. Weather: Consistently warm, but without serious heat spikes. the growing season got off to an early start and maintained that ad- vancement all year. harvest was completed under good conditions. Pests/diseases: some grapes prone to late-season stress (at tab- las Creek this includes, roussanne and mourvedre) had plenty to be stressed about with the drought. suPPly/demand: modest up- ward pressure on grape prices due to growing demand. yields were ok, only slightly below average. teChnology/teChniques: We did a lot more night harvesting, bringing in lights and getting started around 3 a.m. to keep the bulk of harvest in the cool mornings. Challenges: it was dry, and wells saw some drought pres- sure, but we made it. Varieties: We were pleased across the board with our rhone varieties. Both sugars and acids were up for us compared to 2013. Lush and fresh. a good thing! Brook Williams, owner Duvarita and Slide Hill Vineyards edna Valley: at slide hill Vine- yard in the edna Valley region of san Luis obispo County, the grape quality was very good while quan- tities were slightly below average. lomPoC: at Duvarita Vineyard near Lompoc in santa Barbara County, the quality was good. Weather: the growing season started early and finished early. the weather was surprisingly mild except for a couple of hot spells in may and september. All in one winery DTC solution Contact us today for a demo and our introductory POS rates 877-441-2582 • www.activeclubsolutions.com NEW! MOBILE POS Wine Club Software Ecommerce • CRM