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January 2015 Wines&Vines 145 vintage 2014 Bauer Associates Geotechnical Engineers and Geologists Providing Geotechnical Engineering Services for Wineries, Commercial and Residential Projects Bryce@bauergeotech.com • 707-887-2505 Bryce Bauer • DRY ICE • BARREL DRY ICE BLASTING • INDUSTRIAL & BULK GASES • SAFETY PRODUCTS • SULFUR DIOXIDE & 6% SOLUTION • WINERY EQUIPMENT P.O. BOX 2516 Napa, CA 94558 Phone: (707) 258-0885 5200 COMMERCE BLVD. ROHNERT PARK, CA 94928 Phone: (707) 584-0111 1549 N. BROADWAY STOCKTON, CA 95205 Phone: (209) 462-3086 WWW.COMPLETEWELDERSSUPPLY.COM Complete_Welders_Dir10 11/25/09 1:29 PM Page 1 When you need regulatory guidance or licensing assistance anywhere in the USA 800-400-1353 www.csa-compliance.com COMPLIANCE SERVICE of AMERICA Trust the experts Weather: generally a delayed, cool and moist growing season, however excellent weather condi- tions from véraison to harvest led to good quality fruit. Pests/diseases: None. surveys continue to show results similar to other grapegrowing areas (New york, michigan, ohio, etc.) for pests and viral diseases of concern for the industry in North america. suPPly/demand: a two-year grape-pricing agreement was reached for 2014 and 2015, with moderate increases over the two years. all grapes were sold/pur- chased in 2014. teChnology/teChniques: more wind machines continue to be installed to manage cold tem- perature events. Constellation in- stalled Flash Détente for fruit processing. PennSyLVAniA Linda Jones mcKee editor of Wine East; owner of Tamanend Winery the word to describe the 2014 har- vest was "variable." extremely cold temperatures during the winter hit some places hard, especially in the Lake erie region. the survival rate was higher, however, at better sites. in vineyards hit by the cold weather, yields were light. in the southeast- ern region, some vineyards had cold damage; others reported good yields with good quality fruit. Weather: the harsh winter was followed by a late spring and rainy summer. the rains stopped in au- gust, and warm, sunny weather in september and early october let grapes mature. there were no major hurricanes. Pests/diseases: there was minimal disease pressure in spite of the rainy weather in early sum- mer. Japanese beetles were more of a problem than in 2013. suPPly/demand: grape prices remained steady. yields were vari- able, depending on winter dam- age. riesling is one variety in short supply. Challenges: the major chal- lenge is to get wine grapes ripe, no matter what mother Nature deliv- ers. Cold and rain are always a problem. Dry, sunny weather helps! ViRGiniA Tremain Hatch Viticulture extension/research associate Virginia Tech university Fruit quality was high, in particular for mid-season ripening varieties. total heat accumulation was slightly lower in 2014 than recent years. Quantity was high with the absence of widespread frost dam- age across the state; unfortunately, cold-tender varieties (e.g., Viognier and tannat) had very light yields in blocks affected by cold injury. Large portions of Virginia experi- enced temperatures around 0° F during winter 2013-14. Weather: excellent ripening con- ditions, particularly for mid-season ripening varieties. We had an un- characteristic dry period through september into early october. Pests/diseases: Fewer reports of vertebrate depredation of fruit and spotted wing drosophila dam- age than last year. some sites ex- perienced a high incidence of bunch stem necrosis. Japanese beetle canopy damage was re- ported across the state. suPPly/demand: grape prices continue an upward trend due to winery demand and low yields from cold-tender varieties. teChnology/teChniques: We see more and more growers using canopy-side or over-the-row bird netting. Challenges: Labor availability at harvest was short, especially with looming storms near the end of harvest. Varieties: some blocks of cold- tender varieties (and in some cases merlot) had cold injury that re- sulted in damage to primary buds and trunk injury.