B.C. Vineyards Expect Shortages

Severe freezes last winter will cause spot losses; fewer problems in Washington
 
Oliver, British Columbia -- A hard frost in early October of last year followed by an Arctic front in late December have fueled expectations of a short 2009 grape harvest in some parts of the Northwest.

With the growing season just barely underway--budbreak is about a week behind schedule in areas of Eastern Washington and British Columbia's Okanagan Valley--initial indications are that winter damage to vines may significantly cut yields in some vineyards.

Keith Bown, vice president, winemaking with Ontario-based Vincor Canada told Wines & Vines that Vincor's B.C. properties could see anywhere from 25% to 100% losses. "It's obviously very related to vineyard sites," he said earlier this week.

Vincor's viticultural teams have been examining the 1,300 acres of vineyard Vincor has in B.C. to calculate the extent of the damage. Most of the vineyards are in the arid South Okanagan, with some of the key properties along the desirable Black Sage Road.
 
Vincor's vice president of winemaking Keith Bown reckons that some Okanagan vineyards will lose 25% to 100% of their crops this year."Our viti guys have been … doing some bud dissections out there and even cut some trunks to see what the situation is," Bown said. "Certainly there are vineyards out there, and some vineyard sites, where the damage could be as much as 100%."

The problem began in early October, when vines (some still with fruit on them) were hit with a hard frost. Senescence (which allows the vines to shut down and harden up for the winter ahead) had not yet occurred. The premature frost was followed in late December by an Arctic front that dumped snow and extreme low temperatures on many parts of the Northwest. Temperatures in the Okanagan on several occasions dipped under minus 20º Celsius (minus 4ºF).

Bown said vineyard teams will seek to counter the risk of a short crop by lightly thinning vines so more buds than usual are left to push through. This promises to give the vines a greater chance to respond naturally to the damage.

Vincor has also asked its winemakers to order just 50% of the barrels they need, pending better estimates of crop size in late May.
"We certainly don't want to come out of vintage 2009 with a lot of empty barrels that you've got TO store for 12 months," Bown said.

Winter damage was also noticed in low-lying areas of Washington state, particularly in vineyards south of Walla Walla along the Oregon line. Growers are still assessing actual impacts, but initial signs indicate a small reduction in yields, as the damage wasn't widespread.

Some damage to Merlot vines was seen in Chateau Ste. Michelle's Northstar Estate vineyard, while Marty Clubb of L'Ecole No. 41 expects slightly smaller yields at his vineyards in the same area, but nothing significant. "I don't think it's going to be serious," he said.