Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/918844
68 WINES&VINES January 2018 VINTAGE 2017 We had significant rainfall in winter 2016-17 that led to high soil mois- ture coming into the growing sea- son. Warm temperatures in August helped vines catch up with fruit ripening. We had a more normal start to the growing season and more typical harvest dates. With greater soil moisture, we had significant canopy growth in the first half of the growing season, which caused issues with powdery mildew in some regions of the state. Where canopy management was con- ducted timely, there was excellent control and no disease issues. There were high yields in 2017, more mechanical harvesting than in prior years and fewer logistical issues for wineries with harvest being more spread out this year (almost one month). WASHINGTON Vicky Scharlau Executive director Washington Winegrowers Association Smaller clusters in red grapes led to a light crop, which continued to shrink due to thinning to meet specifications in nearly all major wine grape varieties. An earlier than normal frost in some areas challenged late harvest in one major growing region for Merlot and Cabernet. Good flavors at lower sugars was a theme that started with Sauvignon Blanc and carried through harvest. Some smoke events occurred but were not significant. A wetter than normal spring had a few early heat How would you describe the average yields of the 2017 harvest? GRAPE YIELD Average Somewhat reduced Record crop Above average NORTHWEST Little to no crop 9ROXPHWULF /HYHO)LOO0RGHOV ZZZ[SUHVVILOOFRP3UDGR5RDG6WH6DQ/XLV2ELVSR&$ WROOIUHH +DQGFUDIWHG FXVWRPPDGHWRRUGHULQWKH86$ How would you characterize the average quality of the 2017 harvest? GRAPE QUALITY Excellent Good Poor 0% - Normal NORTHWEST