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WineEastNews PolyMax_Jan11.qxp 12/7/10 2:13 PM Page 1 It wasn't necessarily the gross amount of rain that created problems for grapegrowers; frequency also had an impact. In Geneva, N.Y., only 5.25 inches of rain fell between Aug.15 and Sept. 26, but during that time frame, there were six different rain events, each bringing more than half an inch of precipitation. According to Hans Walter-Peterson, viticulture extension specialist with Cornell University Cooperative Extension's Finger Lakes Grape Program, more frequent rain events keep the fruit wet longer, which makes it easier for infections to become established. An unusual amount of bunch rot cropped up in Finger Lakes vineyards this harvest, the result of berry splitting caused by fruit sucking up large quantities of water and more compact clusters from a high fruit set this year. Fortunately, in most cases the rots are purely from Botrytis and not accompanied by sour rot. Chris Stamp, president and winemaker at 24,000-case Lakewood Vineyards Inc. in Watkins Glen, N.Y., told Wine East that the winery brought in many varieties early because it had been so wet. "It's not the amount of rain that's the problem, it's the duration. The grapes are wet all the time and don't have a chance to dry off." East Coast Rainfall, Aug. 26-Sept. 9 Total Inches of Rainfall 0 8 16 24 32 EasternWineLab_Mar09.qxp 1/22/09 9:47 AM Page 1 EASTERN WINE LABS Serving the Analytical needs of East Coast Wineries WWW.EASTERNWINELABS.COM Ph 609-859-4302 Cell 609-668-2854 chemist@easternwinelabs.com AOAC Member According to Richard Carey, president of Vitis Research, a custom crush and research facility in Lancaster, Pa., the rain and stormy weather has had a serious impact on the grapes, partly because of the timing and intensity of the storms and partly because of the physiological maturity of the different varieties of grapes. "We have received Vidal grapes that had just been hammered. The Brix level ranged from a low of 12° to a high of 19° Brix," Carey said. The California-like hot weather that the East Coast endured in July (and California growers missed this year) may be the factor that saves the red grapes, according to Carl Helrich, owner and winemaker at 3,000-case Allegro Vineyards in Brogue, Pa. As of early October, there were no herbal flavors in the reds, and the color was good. In most of his white grapes, the sugars were lower than normal, but the acids were in balance. While the flavors were not intense, they were showing good primary fruit characters. Linden Vineyards (5,000 cases) in Linden, Va., is located just west of the heaviest rainfall area. Jim Law, Linden's owner and winemaker, described September as "cloudy, foggy and drizzly. What a disappointment; everything looked so good right before Labor Day." —Linda Jones McKee and Hudson Cattell 88 Wines & Vines nOVeMBeR 2011