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92 WINES&VINES January 2016 VINTAGE 2015 high this year due to many vine- yards suffering crop and vine losses due to the severe winter cold. Grape shortages due to the past two severe winters forced some wineries to go outside of the state to satisfy their needs. Vinifera vineyards that were killed to the snow line had to be hand harvested instead of machine har- vested because the fruit was too near the ground. Winter-hardy varieties from the Min- nesota and New York breeding pro- grams are getting a more serious look at planting and making wine in different styles such as Frontenac rosé. Frontenac makes a very bril- liant red rosé color, and the higher acid works well in the rosé style. OKLAHOMA Harry Flynn Owner Dos Cabras Vineyards The variable climatic zones in Oklahoma resulted in wide ranges of yields, depending on location and soil conditions. The wetter than normal spring gave some of the best yields of Cabernet Sauvi- gnon and other varieties ever in the north central part of the state, which was a bit cooler than the southern parts, while other areas reported heavy crop losses due to black rot. Cabernet and Concord seemed to be slow ripening this year, but quality was good. The spring was abnormally wet, followed by a drier summer. Harvest weather for both reds and whites was favorable, with quite pleasant conditions for harvesting reds in late September and early October. David Roberts, owner of the Range Winery, indicated early fungicide application was a must this year. Insect damage was noticeable for some varieties such as Norton. TEXAS After suffering through years of drought, vineyards in Texas re- ceived a deluge of rain during the Memorial Day weekend. The Texas Hill County recorded as much as 13 inches of rain in 12 hours. "Texas got more rain in May than in 2011 and 2012 and the first five months of 2013 combined," Bobby Cox, the owner of Pheasant Ridge Winery in Lubbock, Texas, told Wines & Vines in August. Once the rain cleared, however, conditions came together for what may be one of the best vintages the state has ever enjoyed. At Fall Creek Vineyards in Tow, Texas, director of winemaking Ser- gio Cuadra reported on the win- ery's blog that the rain did make it challenging to stay on schedule for vineyard sprays, but most of the winery's estate vineyards recovered in time for good growth through the end of the season. The 2015 harvest at Fall Creek began with Tempranillo, which Guadra said had good color and concentration, and ended with Cabernet Sauvi- gnon that came in with excellent balance of 24° Brix, 3.79 pH and a TA of 6.15 g/L. "The wet spring made us anticipate a challenging year, but the rain stopped right when it needed to stop, and nature gave us splendid weather during the ripening period." Bingham Family Vineyards of Grapevine, Texas, presses its first grapes of 2015, Muscat Canelli bound for Sister Creek Vineyards.