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16 WINES&VINES September 2016 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS S an Rafael, Calif.—When Wines & Vines began our annual check on vineyard conditions in mid-July, vé- raison was just beginning in much of California. By early August, however, crush had commenced for North Coast sparkling wine producers. Winter precipitation replen- ished reservoirs, rivers and aquifers and a generally mild growing season allowed many vineyards to reduce or eliminate irrigation, but mildew pressure had been intense in much of the state. Mumm Napa grabbed bragging rights for first pick in the Napa Valley, beginning harvest of Pinot Meunier for Blanc de Noir sparkling wines July 28. The first pick was one day later than in 2015, but two or three weeks earlier than average. Vineyard manager Julie Nord said the mild summer allowed acids to hold well, but she predicted a light crop of about 2.5 tons per acre for the Pinot Meunier and perhaps 3 tons per acre for nearby Pinot Noir in the American Canyon vineyard that had previously averaged 5 tons per acre. Other Napa Valley vineyards will probably have yields that are average or better than normal, she said. For Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards on the Sonoma side of the Carneros AVA, picking at the home ranch began Aug. 2, according to winemaker Steven Urberg, who expected to begin harvest in Bennett Valley two weeks later. Sonoma County's grape crop was light in 2015; this year, cluster counts for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were close to average and should yield a crush bigger than last year but 12%-15% lighter than the historic average. Starting with an early spring, early bud break and early bloom, fruit set was solid and maturity even. Urberg said 2015 was the earli- est harvest in memory, with 2016 running about five days later. At Cline Cellars, which has vineyards in Carneros and Petaluma Gap, director of wine- making Charles Tsegeletos hoped to start bringing in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for Cline's ultra-dry Nancy's Cuvee the second week in August. In Guerneville, Calif., Korbel Champagne Cellars started crushing organic Pinot Gris grapes from Lodi, Calif., on July 29 for the brand's California Brut, and the historic prop- erty expected to begin crushing grapes from its 1,000 acres in Russian River Valley the fol- lowing week. Director of winemaking Paul Ahvenainen anticipated a quick harvest, with crop yields average to a little below, for a total of 13,500 tons toward its 1.5 million cases of California sparkling wine. By July 27, all white varieties in Temecula Valley in Southern California's Riverside County had completed véraison, as well as 50% of red grapes, according to J.D. Harkey of Drake Enterprises. Harkey said he would begin harvest that week, and expected a normal crop, although a June heat wave brought sunburn and reduced yields to many growers. Santa Barbara County's 260 wineries also experienced a relatively normal growing sea- TOP STORY California Harvest Early; Volume Sparse Napa County's Winery Definition Ordinance and Implications for Other Winery Markets November 2, 2016 ~ River Terrace Inn ~ NAPA, CA $ 5 0 D I S CO U N T Use Code SPP50 800-574-4852 TSGregistration.net/1527W On January 23 rd , 1990, after years of discussion and much controversy, the Napa County Board of Supervisors adopted Ordinance No. 947, generally known as the Winery Definition Ordinance, or WDO. ‚e WDO was intended to address concerns about (a) the proliferation of wineries, (b) winery traffic, (c) conversion of farmlands to wineries using out-of-county grapes, and (d) potential loss of vested rights for then-existing wineries. In recent years, the same concerns have emerged with renewed vigor, and approval of applications for new and modified winery use permits has become significantly more difficult. In addition, the current controversy has included a call for more strict enforcement of winery use permit conditions of approval, and an end to a long-standing policy of leniency towards violators who apply to correct their violations through use permit modifications. is seminar will use a comparison of the past and present debates over these issues to illuminate the future of the wine industry in Napa County in the context of local general plan policies and zoning, as well as local, state and federal environmental regulatory concerns.