Harvest of grapes may dip

YAKIMA – The wine grape harvest this year will be down slightly from 2003, due in part to damage caused by bitterly cold temperatures in some parts of Washington last winter, grape growers estimated Wednesday.

A bright spot in the harvest estimates was the addition of new vineyard acres coming into production and bearing fruit, which balanced out potential losses from freeze damage.

Washington has nearly 27,500 fruit-bearing vineyard acres and nearly 30,000 total vineyard acres statewide.

“We keep waiting for the year when it’s all going to come into production at once,” Vicky Scharlau, executive director of the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers, said with a laugh. But she added that wine grape growers aren’t paid to grow as much as they can.

“They’re paid to grow a specific quality,” she said. “Unlike other crops, we may never see our potential, what these vines can grow without any management. That’s not really how the wine grape industry works.”

Last year, growers harvested a record 111,700 tons, topping the previous record 109,750 tons from a year earlier. Growers estimated the crop in 2004 will come in at about 108,300 tons, although August estimates tend to be a little high and that number could fall, said Stacie Jacob, spokeswoman for the Washington Wine Commission.

The unusually high number of hot, dry days last year was a boon for growers, leading winemakers to predict an outstanding vintage for 2003.

Experts across the state are reporting small berries again this year – a key indicator of concentrated fruit – thanks in part to long, hot days again this summer, Jacob said.

However, the winter freeze in early January did hurt pockets of growers statewide, particularly near Walla Walla, and some varieties may see reduced production this year.

“Winter damage is something we’re always going to be faced with because of where we’re located,” Jacob said. “But I think our growers are finding new ways to manage the things Mother Nature brings their way.”

Pruning techniques, wind machines and burying secondary shoots underground to shield them from bitter cold temperatures are just some of the ways growers are adapting.

Red wine varieties comprise about 57 percent of the acres in Washington state, including merlot, cabernet and syrah. White wine varieties such as chardonnay, riesling and sauvignon blanc account for 43 percent of the acreage.

The wine grapes harvested this year, though, will be split 50-50 between red and white varieties because more acres targeted for red varieties are not yet in production, Jacob said.

Wine is a $2.4 billion business in Washington, with more than 200 wineries and 300 wine grape growers here, according to the Wine Commission. The state is the country’s second-largest producer of wine, behind California.