Harvest 2011: Perspectives on a Challenging Year

CORKZILLA has occasionally featured news items about the state of the current harvest. As the harvest gets under way in uncertain conditions on the U.S. west coast, we thought it might be most interesting to compile a few reports to let you – the ‘Zilla reader – decide how this wacky weather year will turn out for the wine industry.

CALIFORNIA

Delays in Mendocino: The harvest has been slow in California’s northern growing region, but the area benefits from consistent sunshine after rainfall, according to this Wines & Vines post.

Napa is Nervous: Recent combinations of rain and sun have many winemakers wondering when the right time to pick might be, according to this Decanter report.

Amador County and Sierra Foothills Get a Wet Surprise: An unexpected rainfall at the end of last weekend is causing harvest concerns, after a combination of rain and sun in the earlier part of the month, according to a Sacramento Bee report.

Rotten in Sonoma: Signs of damage may limit the size of the Sonoma County wine crop this year, according to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, with the presence of botrytis – a bunch rot – worrying grape-growers just as they’re attempting to get on top of more pressing harvest-related issues. Crop yield could be the smallest in 7 years, according to this earlier update.

Central Coast Harvests then Waits: Already rocked by spring frosts, Central Coast areas such as Paso Robles are keeping a close eye as they approach mid-harvest and hope to resume picking late this week, according to a post by Tablas Creek Vineyard.

OREGON

Better Late Than…: This year could go down as the latest Oregon wine harvest ever, according to the Wine Spectator, with vintners nervous about the state of their crop ripeness. Here’s an additional video report from local TV affiliate KGW, based in Portland.

WASHINGTON

Devil in the Details: The damage wrought by this year’s unpredictable weather is just now coming into focus for Washington wineries, according to the Yakima Herald.

More from the 'Zilla on just what this means for this year's vintage at the completion of the harvest. Stay tuned.