When the table glitters with freshly opened wine bottles and colorful platters of food, winemaking may seem like a glamorous pursuit. The finished product of this enchanting craft graces state affairs, as well as family dinners, and figures in festive occasions ranging from weddings to birthdays to gala inaugurations.
At its heart, however, winemaking is rooted in farming, an age-old challenge best avoided by the faint of heart. It involves dust, soil chemistry, and hard labor, coupled with uncertainty, expensive outlays for supplies and equipment, and the vagaries of weather.
In Santa Barbara County, farming has generated more than $1 billion annually for five years running. Topping the list of agricultural products grown in the county are strawberries and broccoli, with wine grapes—more than 65 different varieties—coming in third.
“We have such a diversity of microclimates and grape varieties in this area,” said Stephan Bedford, owner/winemaker at Bedford Winery. “It’s mind boggling. So certain varieties in some places might not do well, but in other places they’re going to rock.”
In 2010, despite cooler than average temperatures and a crop that was down 12 percent from the year before, growers harvested 82,661 tons of wine grapes from 21,753 acres of vineyard. The dollar value of the fruit—priced at about $1,200 per ton—totaled upwards of $97 million.
“When you crunch the numbers, last year was easily a thousand degree days cooler than any year on record,” Bedford said, referring to a system of temperature averages used when choosing which types of grapes to plant. “I was so surprised we got anything to ripen.”
Bedford described a pattern of waiting out the rain, hoping for sunshine to ripen the fruit, and then a mad rush to pick the grapes that were ready before it started raining again.
“Working with the weather like that,” he laughed, “people picked some pretty nice stuff. With the lower yields, there’s some great wines with very good flavors and lower alcohol, which I’m excited about.
“All of a sudden,” he continued, “some very interesting flavor can come out, instead of what I consider these tarry type of [high-alcohol] wines.”
This year, growers have already weathered a late arctic chill that swooped over the vineyards for two nights in early April. Temperatures dropped into the mid-20s, and some areas even experienced hail and freezing rain.
Old-timers had to think back 30 years to recall a killing chill at such a vulnerable time in the grapevines’ growing cycle. The frozen wood that resulted may affect long-term vine performance, setting back nodes, stems, and canes, putting a dent in yield, as well as farmers’ wallets.
In the wake of the frost and the emerging buds that it destroyed, estimates peg losses at potentially half of the crop.
“We don’t have frost protection,” said Chris Jones, who, with her husband, farms Faith Vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley, “so we were completely fried, again. But Mother Nature is kind to us and gives us a second chance. It’s amazing how that happens.
“This year when I saw the frost on the picnic table,” she added, “I knew we were hit, but I also knew that we’d get a second smaller crop.”
Chris’s husband, John, lamented the damage done to shoots and buds that were just beginning to open up, as well as the apparent inhibition of latent buds. He anticipates a less than average yield, but doesn’t know just how much less.
“It’s too early to tell,” he said, “and there is the unknown of weather at bloom. I expect about a two- to three-week delay for harvest, but no difficulty ripening the fruit.”
At Curtis Winery, winemaker Chuck Carlson described vineyard damage that was mitigated by whether there was frost protection in place. He explained that the frost descended at 11 p.m. and didn’t lift until the next morning, making for a very long-lasting spell during which temperatures hovered around 27 degrees F.
“Our Viognier and Cabernet Franc was hit hard,” Carlson said. “The secondary shoots are just now out, and [so far], we haven’t seen many clusters on secondary shoots. We need to give it a bit more time to really be sure.
“The blocks that received the most damage,” he continued, “still need to be tended to in order to promote a good crop for the following year. As for crop size … it will be lighter on most varieties.”
Each year, after a nerve-racking cycle of pruning, weeding, and nurturing their grapevines, winemakers put the final touches on their delectable wares. Theirs is a challenging life full of the rigors of farming, and glamorous only when the cork is pulled from the bottle.
K. Reka Badger doesn’t recommend microwaving wine to compensate for frost. Contact her at rekabadger@hotmail.com.
This article appears in May 12-19, 2011.