While Gilroyans marinate in the glory of October
– crafting the perfect jack-o-lantern, planning a visit to
Uesugi Farms for the Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off or relishing the
return of Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks – winemakers are
preoccupied with a different type of produce: Grapes. Full
story
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While Gilroyans marinate in the glory of October – crafting the perfect jack-o-lantern, planning a visit to Uesugi Farms for the Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off or relishing the return of Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks – winemakers are preoccupied with a different type of produce: Grapes.
If predicted rainfall coats South County this week (Wednesday has a 90 percent chance) the unwanted moisture could throw flavors off-kilt by diluting the grapes’ sugar and acid content, or increasing the risk for fungal diseases and berry splitting. Two days of rainfall won’t likely ruin an entire crop, but it is something to whine about, according to Rapazzini Winery co-owner Alex Larson, who said the wetness turns the picking process into a delayed, muddy mess for both humans and machinery.
For ophenophiles such as Dan and Therese Martin, who own and operate Martin Ranch Winery on Redwood Retreat Road in Gilroy, it’s all about the power of positive thinking. Or dogged denial.
“It is not gonna happen,” Dan replied on a dime, when asked if he was slightly anxious about the National Weather Service’s dreary forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday. “Nope. Definitely not.”
It’s a crazy time of year for two dozen vineyards in Gilroy, San Martin and Morgan Hill, which are harvesting, crushing or running out the clock in hopes the weather seals the ripening process with a few more kisses from the sun, versus dousing vines with significant rainfall. With crush time upon them (the act of extracting juice from the grapes) viticulturists have mixed updates but carry several notes of uniformity: It’s been an unseasonably cool summer and fruit yields are down, but “across the state, there should be an excellent vintage for popular varietals like cabernet sauvignon, merlot and pinot noir,” said Sarah’s Vineyard owner, Tim Slater on Sept. 26.
Slater – now in his 11th harvest at Sarah’s Vineyard – said later that day Rev. Dan Derry of St. Mary Parish was coming out to perform a yearly tradition of blessing the harvest.
Perhaps it will guard against a sleeping dragon.
According to the National Weather Service, imminent climate projections for Gilroy are 70 degrees with a 20 percent chance of rain today, and Wednesday is expected to be 67 degrees with a 90 percent chance of rain. Thursday and Friday are looking dry, and temperatures will stay cool.
It’s not exactly the kind of prediction folks like Cheryl Durzy, marketing manager for Clos LaChance Winery in San Martin, want to hear.
One day of precipitation isn’t too much to sweat about, she said, but “what we’re worried about is three days of rain. You never know at this time of year.”
At Rapazzini, Larson isn’t putting on a sour face about the weather forecast, as it “doesn’t look like it should be that big of a deal,” he said. Still, this growing season is about 30 percent off normal, he continued, so another 5 percent “is a big deal.”
Gino Fortino, who owns Fortino Winery on Hecker Pass, echoed this sentiment, saying, “Yeah, that would be frustrating. Hopefully it doesn’t rain.”
So far, his crew has harvested Chardonnay, he said.
Durzy said late September’s temperatures that reached the mid to high-90s helped nudge things along, although the bulk of their harvesting is still three weeks out. As of last week, Clos LaChance has picked and crushed estate Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. But as for Chardonnay, Grenache and Merlot, Durzy noted “we’ll keep our fingers crossed” that Mother Nature cooperates.
Like his fellow viticulturists, Dan Martin isn’t jumping up and down about a growing year marked by 24.10 inches of rain in Gilroy, coupled with the coolest summer climate in 40 years.
The Martins have harvested and crushed Pinot Noir, Semillon, an “early” Cabernet Sauvignon and a Merlot, but “most of our Cab is well over a month out,” he said last week. “That’s kinda late. That’s why we’re not looking for any rain.”
A cool summer equates to a snail-paced ripening process, so the last three weeks of balmy weather have been sublime for grapes that aren’t quite ready to be picked, Slater said. Typically, the darker the fruit, the better the wine, he explained – but the sun needs to show its face for that to happen.
Annotating the mechanics of his de-stemmer, a rattling device Sarah’s employee Tim O’Kelley joked “looks like the most violent thing ever,” Slater pointed to a vibrating apparatus that shakes the grapes off their stems and onto a conveyor belt.
“It’s about $100,000, and I only get to use it one month out of the year,” he said staring at a brand-new, 15-foot-long de-stemmer. “It’s like buying a new car, but you don’t get to drive it. And then it depreciates.”
The metal contraption was on and running last Tuesday morning, funneling Pinot Noir by the juicy tons into large, plastic bins. Slater’s dogs – a happy trio of short-legged rescue mutts – combed the ground with their noses, gobbling up runaway grapes like kibble.
“Look at that junk. You don’t want that in your wine,” said Slater, pointing to a bucket filled with bugs, stems, leaves and undersized fruit. These are “negative flavors” the de-stemmer spits out through a side chute, he said.
Slater estimated his vineyard will pull in somewhere around 30 tons of Pinot Noir this season, yielding 2,000 cases containing 12 bottles each. Overall, he said, Sarah’s Vineyard – a winery he joked is characterized by “rampant nuttiness” – produces around 5,000 cases of wine each year.
A diagonal stone’s throw across the highway, Solis Winery co-owner/winemaker Mike Vanni said he is expecting a really “stacked” harvest, meaning the bulk of picking and crushing for Solis will likely happen in a condensed whirlwind when the time is nigh.
As for the ominous precipitation, Vanni is on the same page as everybody else.
“If we get a few days of rain and then it dries out, that would be just fine,” he said. “But if we get into a wet pattern, that’s where we could see some damage.”
