Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/975273
WINEMAKING TECHNICAL SPOTLIGHT 62 WINES&VINES May 2018 harvest because the picks were canceled for the safety of the crews," Delivert said. "And then the next morning and for a couple of days we had fog. And that moisture sits there, and it's not cold, it's muggy." Having a vineyard team on standby then pays for itself, because they can quickly get into the vineyard and make the necessary ad- justments. Decisions on such things as canopy and fruit exposure also need to be made while keeping in mind the potential for quickly changing conditions. The vineyards are also monitored with weather stations and regular NDVI reports by the aerial imagining company TerrAvion. Tule evapotranspiration monitoring stations are being installed this year. Delivert said that after the rain, Edna Valley went through one of its hottest heat waves during the Labor Day weekend, when the high temperature hit 105 degrees. He said he had to bring in nearly all the Tolosa grapes, just over 100 tons, in about 48 hours. "We had the heat wave plus three thunderstorms," he said "Yeah," interjected Hoefliger, "a few curveballs." But after a multimillion-dollar renovation, the winemaking team has the ability to swing out of the strike zone if needed. "You want to make sure that you don't adapt to a vintage but to a block." — Jean Hoefliger Pumpovers or punchdowns in the winery's open-top tanks are all done by hand.