Grapes don't suffer from summer's wrath

Orange County's late-summer cornfields have already been dressed for fall by the hot, dry summer. Most fields are brown and withered, and blend seamlessly into the dusty soil. In the western end of the county, though, the two vineyards are beginning to see what the summer has meant for their grapes, and will ultimately mean for their wines.
Baboursville Vineyards has already started harvesting its white grapes, which is about 10 days ahead of schedule said Luca Paschina, Barboursville winemaker.
"The yield seems to be 10 to 20 percent lower, because the bunches didn't get as big," he said. "The quality, though, has been very good."
Dennis Horton, of Horton Vineyards, said they haven't started picking their grapes yet, but plan to in the coming weeks, also well ahead of schedule.
"We've never brought anything in before Sept. 5," he said. "This year we'll start in the latter part of August."
Horton first knew the harvest could be early when the bud break occurred April 15, two weeks early. His vines survived a frost scare after that, which could have decimated the crop, and then needed irrigation to make it through the summer.
"We've had no catastrophes," said Horton. "It hasn't been the season I would want, but that's the grape business. It's not at all a bad year. It's a good year."
Barboursville also irrigated its fields this year, a practice they usually don't use, said Paschina.
"Without irrigating, the grapes would be of lesser quality," he said. "But because we irrigated we were able to reverse that condition."
Both winemakers said that white grapes prefer cooler conditions, with temperatures in the 70s, and therefore must be taken off first. Reds thrive in hot summers, and Paschina said this year's red vintage will be in the higher range in quality, with Merlot being especially strong.
In a very hot summer the sugar and pH levels of the grapes will be higher, and the acid levels down, said Horton.
"Not all grapes are created equal," he said. "Some will handle the heat a lot better than others. A Riesling, with its thin skin, won't do very well in a summer like this, but a Viognier can handle it.
At Horton, the pushed-up harvest will be felt throughout the fall, resulting in a hurried few months. Horton said he expects to bring in all of his more than 26 grape varieties by Nov. 15.
"We generally have a break after the white harvest, before we bring in the reds," he said. "This year's harvest will be very crammed. We might never stop picking, and have some 24 hour days."
Paschina expects to finish harvesting Barboursville's 18 varietals by the first week in October, and the yield to be around 600 tons of grapes. Both he and Horton expect the vintages to yield strong wines, but were hesitant to say how good. Bob Downes, the tasting room manager for Horton, however, provided a slightly more confident response.
"Unlike most other crops, grapes usually enjoy the heat, especially reds," he said. "There's more sugar in the grapes, making them sweeter."
Horton, though, sees his job as far from over, as the entire harvest still hangs on the vine.
"Once we get the bunches off the vines then everything will be in the pudding," he said.