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16 WINES&VINES April 2015 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS S an Rafael, Calif.—From California to British Co- lumbia, vines are begin- n i n g t o w a k e i n vineyards across much of the West Coast, and 2015 is shaping up to be another early vintage. Some vines in California exhib- ited bud swelling as early as late January, and by mid- to late Febru- ary it appeared winter had come to an end in the Golden State. Francisco Araujo, senior viti- culturist for Atlas Vineyard Man- a g e m e n t , w h i c h f a r m s approximately 1,000 acres in Cali- fornia's North Coast, Santa Bar- b a r a C o u n t y a n d O r e g o n ' s Willamette Valley, said 2015 is shaping up to be an early growing season. "Growers are seeing signs of an early onset, especially in vineyards where soil is shallower and the vines are weaker," he told Wines & Vines. From Bien Nacido and Solo- mon Hills Vineyards in the Santa Maria Valley, vineyard manager Chris Hammell said, "We had fairly widespread regrowth after harvest, primarily from the tops of the shoots/canes. This is very unusual. We are seeing bud swell early, as of Feb. 1, in our warm- est sites. "We have had a very mild win- ter and would actually prefer frost during this dormant time," Hammell said. "From a timing perspective, last year was very early. It's really too soon to tell, but things are looking pretty much the same." A few nights of below-freezing temperatures in Mendocino County in late February already did some damage, said Joe Webb, owner and winemaker of Foursight Wines in Boonville, Calif., and the current president of the Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association. Webb said he knows of one vine- yard near Philo, Calif., where the owner opted not to frost protect because less than 1% of vines were showing growth. Unfortunately, what was showing was fried. Webb said he installed a wind machine last year as well as a Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2 weather station. Data from the weather sta- tion—as well as from others in the county—is sent to the private weather firm Fox Weather in For- tuna, Calif., which provides frost forecasts for Mendocino County and other regions in California. Better data ensures more ac- curate forecasts, so Webb knows when to turn on the wind machine or just wait for temperatures to drop to 32° F or colder and turn on the sprinklers. "We'd rather not have the noise and burn the pro- pane if we don't have to," he said of the wind machine. Jason McConnell, winemaker and owner of Rivino winery and vineyards located near Ukiah, Calif., on the Russian River, said he had to turn on his sprinklers during the last week of February, but the vines were faring OK. "It was more localized bud break.... But we are now basically out TOP STORY Buds Point to Another Early Year Eaton's BECOPAD ® depth filter sheets provide excellent filtration while maximizing throughput. It's the choice for winemakers who demand high capacity, minimal drip loss and virtually no color adsorption. Visit www.eaton.com/wine or contact Marge DeAngelis 732-212-4703. Get the Clear Advantage F I LT R AT I O N P R E C I S I O N "Each day without snow accumulation from here on out drops the probabil- ity of any recovery." —Greg Jones, Southern Oregon University