Wines & Vines

June 2015 Enology & Viticulture Issue

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16 WINES&VINES June 2015 QST offers its clients……. Professionally fabricated stainless tanks 35 years of tank fabrication experience Performance & reliability guarantees Custom designs & modern features Quick & competitive tank project pricing On site tank repairs & modifications Special application tanks of all sizes "In stock tanks" from 500 to 10,000 gallons 510 Caletti Ave. Windsor, Ca. 95492 Phone 707-837-2721 or Toll-Free 877-598-0672 www.qualitystainless.com Company Website winetanks@aol.com email contact/sales info Custom Fabricated Tanks for the perfect size & fit… or Ready to Ship "Stock Tanks" Either way QST is ready to assist our clients! Call QST today for information or pricing! QUALITY STAINLESS TANKS WINE INDUSTRY NEWS Y akima, Wash.—Water stopped flow- ing to irrigation canals in the Roza Irrigation District in mid-May, put- ting Yakima Valley grapegrowers on the front lines of an emerging drought scenario in the Northwest. April saw Oregon Gov. Kate Brown add three counties to the list of 13 counties in her state facing a drought emergency (some entering their fourth year), while Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared drought emergencies in three areas of the Evergreen State. The past winter delivered record low snow- packs across the Northwest, with the spring snowpack dropping below levels seen in 2005, when drought was also widespread. The latest reports indicate Oregon's snowpack was just 11% of normal May 1, while Washington state reported a snowpack just 16% of normal as of May 11. Now, water has been shut off to canals in the Roza district as officials implement water- conservation plans standard in drought emer- gencies. A typical shut-off lasts upwards of three weeks. While most irrigated districts in the Yakima Valley AVA enjoy senior water rights that guar- antee them 3 acre feet of water per year, the Roza has junior water rights to service 72,000 acres of agricultural land including upwards of 12,000 acres of vineyard. This places it first in line for cuts when drought strikes; this year, the district anticipates a 50% cut in its water allotment. It has therefore cut the flow to its 545 miles of canals and will likely do so again in September. This isn't necessarily devastating to grape- growers, said Wade Wolfe of Thurston Wolfe Winery in Prosser, Wash. "Wine grapes in the Yakima Valley require about 1 to 1.5 acre feet of supplemental water to produce a full crop, and even with a 50% allocation there should be enough water," he told Wines & Vines. Anticipating the shut off in the wake of the governor's announcement of a drought emer- gency in April, growers will have drawn off water to ensure the soil has the moisture it needs, Wolfe said. Most growers practice regulated deficit ir- rigation during the summer, but if the district shuts off water to irrigation canals again in September—as part of its drought response— some may modify their irrigation regime to bring in a bit more water prior to harvest. "In anticipation of the water being turned off early, they will likely alter (their) practice to supply additional water prior to harvest," Wolfe said. This is in keeping with the consensus of a panel at the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers convention this past February, which concluded that deficit irrigation is best TOP STORY Northwest Growers Strategize to Face Drought " In anticipation of the water being turned off early, they will likely alter (their) prac- tice to supply additional water prior to harvest." —Wade Wolfe, Thurston Wolfe Winery

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