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20 WINES&VINES September 2015 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS ever seen in the month of July in recorded history. Haas reported the vines han- dled the deluge just fine and would later say he expected har- vest to begin sometime between Aug. 28 and Sept. 7. "Given that our crop levels are relatively light this year, I'm betting that it will be toward the early end of that range. It is noteworthy, I think, that we've recovered from a two- weeks-earlier-than-normal bud break to a normal véraison." Some growers in the Lodi AVA area reported they'd be harvesting much fewer grapes than normal, thanks to a severe spring hail, but it appeared to be an average and early year for the rest of the region. Paul Verdegaal, University of California Cooperative Extension farm advisor for San Joaquin County, told Wines & Vines that while he had not been able to visit the vineyards that suffered the most damage, he heard their crops had been limited to 2 or 3 tons per acre, which is typically what hap- pens after such an event. "The worst damage was in a 2- by 3-mile area just west of downtown Lodi, with some smaller areas to the east and to the south," he said. Verdegaal added the area's overall crop appears to be aver- age, so while the hail damage won't likely put a dent in the Lodi AVA harvest overall, it will hit some individual growers hard. "Most wineries are encouraging their growers with damage to har- vest, but profit margins will be squeezed for those growers, even with insurance." Otherwise it's been a fairly "normal" year. Despite a growing season that started about three weeks or more ahead of average, the area's vineyards slowed down and are now seven to 10 days earlier than normal. Verdegaal said there has been a bit of mil- dew, and vine mealybug has been more active this year, but pest and disease pressure has been manageable. —Wines & Vines staff Albariño clusters are bound for the winery at Bokisch Vineyards in Lodi, Calif. LIZ BOKISCH —continued from page 19