Vintners pleased by year

Willamette Valley yields are down, but quality is high

Oregon's winegrape growers were in danger of striking out during the early season, but they were saved from disaster by favorable autumn weather and now expect to deliver a home-run vintage.

"It feels like we were at the bottom of the ninth inning and five runs down and we managed to make it and win the game," said Sam Tannahill, winemaker at A to Z Wineworks in Dundee, Ore.

Temperatures during the early spring were abnormally low, delaying bud break by two to four weeks, Greg Jones, climatologist with Oregon State University, said during a recent Oregon Wine Board harvest conference.

Because of that lag, growers worried their fruit wouldn't have enough time to ripen.

Once the spring and summer finally arrived, temperatures were cool overall but low rain levels in early autumn extended the growing season.

Precipitation in that time was down by 40 to 55 percent, Jones said.

"We overall had low heat stress throughout the year and really very nice ripening conditions for balanced fruit," he said.

There was a heavy frost event along the West Coast from Oct. 9 to Oct. 12, but by then most grapes were either harvested or ready for harvest, Jones said.

"The fruit that did come in actually showed a nice little bit of concentration of acid and a little boost in brix from some dehydration from hanging two or three days after the frost," said Gus Janeway, winemaker at RoxyAnn Winery in Medford, Ore.

In the Willamette Valley, Oregon's major wine-growing region, grape yields were down by 10 to 20 percent from last year, but quality was high, according to the Oregon Wine Board.

Despite some rain in early October, low temperatures prevented fruit rot and generated the kind of cool-climate Pinot noir flavor that Oregon is traditionally known for, said Adam Campbell, winemaker at Elk Cove Vineyards.

"Ripe fruit, great color, huge potential," he said.

Harvest conditions were greatly preferable to those in 2007, when heavy October rains had growers scrambling to get fruit off the vine.

"One of the things that the lateness of the vintage allowed us to do, and the nice weather that we had in October, is to pick at our leisure," said Tannahill.

Harry Peterson-Nedry, chairman of the Oregon Wine Board and owner of Chehalem Winery in Newberg, Ore., expects 2008 wines to be light in alcohol and well balanced.

"Pinot noir flavors, aromas and colors are deep and rich, but with brightness from moderately high acids," he said.

Despite the economic downturn, Tannahill said demand for Oregon wine is still strong, though restaurant sales have taken a noticeable drop.

The state's focus on selling wine in Great Britain, Canada, Mexico, Sweden, Holland, Japan and South Korea is paying off, he said.

"Across the board, we're looking at more opportunities in export right now than we have in the past," said Tannahill.

In the future, the Oregon Wine Board also hopes to expand its reach into China and Hong Kong, said Ted Farthing, the group's executive director.

"Our category is woefully underdeveloped there and it's something we'll be looking at in years to come," he said.