Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/619725
96 WINES&VINES January 2016 VINTAGE 2015 covery than production. The Lake Erie region sustained the coldest temperatures, and for the second year, there were no vinifera grapes to harvest. Damage to hybrid vines was dependent on the variety and on the site. Growers left extra buds, and the Concord crop was better than expected. Warm and dry weather in August and September helped considerably, and south- eastern Pennsylvanian growers had good to above-average quality. After a second brutal winter and then a very wet June, the months of August and September were warm and dry across most of the state. In southeast Pennsylvania, tempera- tures were warmer in May, August and September than in 2013 and 2014, while in the Lake Erie grape belt, September was similar to 2013 and warmer than 2014. In some cases, winter injury lowered the crop level, but overall, the quality of the grapes was quite good. Japanese beetles caused more damage than average. In spite of two extremely cold winters, especially near Lake Erie, the grape berry moth continues to cause considerable damage in many vineyards. Growers had to spray regularly to control downy mildew and black rot after heavy rainfall in June. In the Lake Erie region, tempera- tures of -20° F resulted in 100% bud mortality in vinifera and dam- aged some hybrids. The rest of the state had sustained cold weather rather than the fluctuations of 2013-14, and vines had less freeze damage. Southeastern Pennsylva- nia had no above-average winter damage. The threat of downy mildew and black rot increased after the heavy rains in June and early July across the state. Growers prevented any problems by rotating sprays for downy mildew and using some of the newer materials such as Presi- dio, Zampro, Ranman and Ridomil. While Pennsylvania can be an ex- cellent place to grow grapes, the winters of 2013-14 and 2014-15 drive home the point that site selec- tion and the selection of appropri- ate varieties for that site are of major importance in planning a sus- tainable vineyard in Pennsylvania. VIRGINIA Tremain Hatch Viticulture research/ extension associate Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University This past growing season lent itself to high-quality fruit production in our challenging environment. Grow- ers that successfully navigated a wet early summer and late-season rains were able to bring in exceptional quality fruit in 2015. Dry conditions began in late July and continued until the end of September. The pleasant ripening weather was truncated by a week of rain beginning Sept. 28. Cool but dry conditions followed the week of rain. Frequent rains early in the season challenged growers to be proactive in their spray scheduling. Yields were on par with averages if not higher than average. Demand for grapes and grape prices have risen constantly. Unfortunately, inadequate yield estimation did leave some grapes unspoken for at harvest. A beautiful, early vintage was seg- mented by rainy weather in late September and early October. Growers reported herculean efforts to pick grapes before and between the rains to maintain fruit quality. Fruit picked following the rain rip- ened adequately but required sort- ing in some cases. High to exceptional quality is re- ported for early and mid-season varieties; late-season varieties were more variable in quality due to the rain. 509.524.8500 wegotracks.com info@wegotracks.com Proudly made in America SOUND. SECURE. EPIC.