Wine Grapes Coming

Wine Grapes Coming. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

Wine grape harvest is underway. Kevin Corliss, Vice-President of Vineyards for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates says the wine grape harvest has not changed significantly.

CORLISS: Right now the state is kind of at equilibrium on the white side. It’s maybe a little bit long in certain varieties but for the last four years now Cabernet has been king and if you have a good site that grows Cabernet that’s pretty highly sought after and that’s what people are planting with some other reds, Merlot and Syrah mostly.

A lot of years when harvest rolls around we hear the word “vintage” attached to it and Corliss says this year will be no exception.

CORLISS: The weather is spectacular. I think the potential for an outstanding quality, one that really sticks out fro the last 10. That’s a good prospect this year if the weather holds and we don’t have a freeze during harvest or heavy rain. If the weather stays even similar to this and we have a normal cool down, it stays dry which is also what’s the long term forecast is then we’re going to have an outstanding vintage.

He says they are keeping their fingers crossed that things continue as they have been then harvest should wrap up in about normal time.

CORLISS: The first week in November has been kind of historically, that’s when wineries start closing their doors and I would expect that pretty much everybody’s going to be plenty ripe by that point. What I tell people is the rule of thumb is get it ripe between Labor Day and Halloween and you’ll be just fine.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.