Vérapson to HARVEST
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VERAISOŃ TO HARVEST Statewide Vineyard Crop Development Update #5 October 6, 2017 Edited by Tim Martinson and Chris Gerling Around New York... Statewide (Tim Martinson) Harvest is in high gear throughout New York, with 27 of our original sample blocks now harvested (Fruit composition table pp. 6-10). This includes many traditional natives and hybrids (Baco noir, Seyval blanc, Vignoles, and Niagara), almost all of the Cold-hardy Minnesota hybrids (Marquette, Frontenac, and La Crescent), and early vinifera (Pinot noir and Chardonnay). Overall, the pace of ripening (by the numbers) slowed down from last week. Across all varieties, soluble solids gained an average 1 °Brix, and TAs dropped by 1.2 g/l. (Last week +1.3 °Brix; -1.65 g/l TA). Biggest gainers in our Burdett, NY. Young Riesling vines with first partial crop at Paul Hobbs samples included Concord, Catawba, and La Crescent vineyards, on the southeast end of Seneca Lake, near Burdett. (>2 °Brix), with mid/late season varieties gaining about Photo by Tim Martinson +0.5°Brix. Most TAs changed by <-1 g/l, but acids dropped dramatically in Catawba and Vidal blanc (both>-3g/l). Compared to last year, most varieties are still 1 to 3 °Brix The number of calls concerning the ability of vines to ripen lower than 2016, and TAs range from 1-5 g/l above last a crop are increasing. As is the case in most years, the later year. we go into harvest, the worse the canopy looks due to pow- dery mildew infections, potassium deficiency and just old Technical difficulties have prevented reporting of YAN age. We have also been getting reports about significant measurements this week. Look for them next week. grape leafhopper populations, although their presence in This week, Hans Walter-Peterson has provided a narrative vineyards is sporadic at best. and photos of his trip to Japan, where he was invited to A number of growers have reported that Brix accumulation present field seminars to Japanese producers (p. 3-5) has slowed in their vineyards even with the warmer than Lake Erie (Tim Weigle) average temperatures and sunny skies. Long range forecast is for warmer than average temperatures in the upper 60’s The pomace piles are growing as Concord harvest is in full to mid-70’s F with limited rainfall events so ripening should swing (See photo, p.2). We are finding that growers who did continue. crop estimation at 30 days post bloom were armed with the Finger Lakes (Hans Walter-Peterson) information they needed to either thin to a level that would get ripe, or continue a powdery mildew program to ensure The region’s good fortunes with the weather in Septem- they would have leaves that could actively photosynthesize ber have continued into this first week of October. Cooler later in the season to help ripen a large crop. weather settled in for a few days, and even had us flirt- ing with the freezing mark in a few spots this past Sunday Many growers who thinned found a benefit in being able to morning, but now we’re back to warmer conditions again deliver extra loads to the plant during the first few weeks of for several more days. harvest as others were still waiting for vineyards to reach the minimum sugar standards set by their processors. These Harvest continues to chug along, and we’re reaching the growers should also see the potential for a good return crop point of the season where it seems there’s some of just about in 2018 as they will maintain, or improve, vine size by not everything being picked right now. Tractors and semi trail- having an over crop situation. ers loaded with grape bins are more common sights on the roads around the Finger Lakes now, along with a blue or yellow harvester every now and then. Page 1 Truckloads of Pinot gris, Chardonnay, Concord, Gewürztraminer, and even a little bit of early Riesling have been making their way to crush pads around the region over the past week. We picked Grüner Veltlin- er and Zweigelt at the Teaching Vineyard this week, along with NY81.0315.17, a selection from the breed- ing program at the Experiment Station. Results from this week’s samples, along with others from some of our field trials, reinforce the notion that this won’t be a year for high sugars and low acidity in most situations. Riesling samples are still struggling to reach 20 Brix, while pH levels remain below 3.0 and Pomace piles. As Concord harvest reaches full swing, pomace TAs are still averaging over 10 g/L. At the same time, piles are appearing in the Lake Erie region.. Cabernet Franc and Lemberger almost seem to be clos- Photo by Tim Weigle er to typical harvest parameters at this point compared to Riesling in the same locations. This is likely due, at have plenty of time to acclimate and are thus generally least in part, to the heavier Riesling crop that is hang- resistant to late season sunburn. So it's all good, right? ing in many vineyards compared to the other varieties. New York is generally considered to be a 'cool cli- mate' wine region but its climate varies substantially The extraordinary weather conditions over the past across the state. And, while we never see the 111 ° F few weeks have growers and winemakers feeling good days of central California, a string of days near 90 in about the overall quality of this year’s crop, even if the late September is a significant and debatably uncool season may end up being extended a bit longer than event. It is generally accepted that more fruit sun ex- usual. Fruit condition to this point continues to look posure improves color in red varieties here in NY, but good overall, although a healthy dose of rain is due to there is also evidence of a berry temperature threshold return to the area early next week, which could rekin- that, when exceeded, can have the opposite effect. That dle some cluster infections that got established earlier threshold is thought to be somewhere around 95° F. in the season. This is the time of year when growers are always keeping one eye in the field and one eye on the Days in which the ambient air temperature is at or weather forecast. above 95° are limited anywhere in New York, but ber- ry temperatures are not dictated solely by air tempera- Hudson Valley and Champlain (Jim Meyers) ture. Berry temperatures in shaded clusters do tend to "The most important thing to teach your children is that the stay within a few degrees of ambient air temperatures, sun does not rise and set. It is the Earth that revolves around but highly exposed berries can be substantially warm- the sun. Then teach them the concepts of North, South, East er. Temperatures of exposed fruit tend to be highest and West, and that they relate to where they happen to be on the west side of north-south planted rows because on the planet's surface at that time. Everything else will fol- they get more afternoon sun than the east side at a time low." -- R. Buckminster Fuller when ambient temperatures are highest. Over the past two weeks I have seen a considerable As a result, highly exposed west-facing berries can number of berries shriveling with desiccation, particu- readily exceed 95° during sunny days in the upper 80s larly in red varieties, and mostly on the west side of and these events could have some unintended effects north-south planted rows that have been stripped of on fruit quality. In warm climate growing regions, leaves in the fruit zone. This is neither a surprise nor leaves are often stripped less aggressively on the side necessarily a problem, but it does provide an opportu- of the canopy that gets more afternoon sun. I have nity to talk a little bit about the effects of fruit zone sun- asked just a few eastern New York growers if they do light exposure and why maximizing exposure might this and they all said 'no'. I suspect that there are some not always be the best approach to canopy manage- blocks, depending on where they happen to be on the ment. planet's surface as Bucky might say, for which the an- swer should be 'yes'. It is a common practice to strip leaves from the fruit zone to maximize sun exposure—typically after fruit Having said that, there is no magic formula for how set. There are plenty of good reasons to do this. Open many leaves to strip. Seasonal temperature and cloud canopies are less prone to fungal diseases, are easier cover patterns vary unpredictably so even a rigorously to spray effectively, easier to pick, and assumed to studied model built on historical regional data is sub- improve color in red varieties grown in cool climates. ject to uncertain performance. Additionally, vineyard Furthermore, when leaves are pulled early, berries microclimates and disease pressures can vary over Page 2 short distances in eastern New York. I saw some fruit Viticulture in Japan this year that probably could have been allowed to hang longer with a little more late-season shade to de- Hans Walter-Peterson lay desiccation, but I also saw some fruit that possibly Finger Lakes Grape Program could have benefited from more sun to help dispel dis- ease. In next week's Veraison to Harvest I’ll examine one of latter cases in more detail.