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VÉRAISON TO Statewide Crop Development Update #1 August 28, 2020 Edited by Tim Martinson and Chris Gerling Around New York... Statewide (Tim Martinson) It’s that time of the year again. Welcome to the start of the 2020 Veraison to Harvest newsletter season, which runs… from veraison to harvest. Now in our 14th season, we are grateful – in the era of COVID-19 – to be bringing this week- ly update of fruit composition and timely harvest issues once again. This newsletter is a joint project of the statewide enology and programs, the Lake Erie regional pro- gram, the Finger Lakes grape program, the Eastern New York commercial horticulture program, and the Long Island (Suffolk CCE) grape program. Each week, we collect and process fruit samples from key and juice grape variet- ies in five regions of New York. In addition, we will include brief articles that highlight some of the projects and activi- Sampling started early this year. This Concord vineyard is still in the early stages ties of our research and extension team at Cornell. of post-veraison fruit ripning. Photo by Don Caldwell Since the newsletter first started in 2007, we have had con- tinuous support from the and Grape Foun- dation that has made this publication possible. Our thanks Long Island (Alice Wise) to the Foundation and other industry groups for their sup- port. The 2020 season may well be one of the driest on record for the Long Island industry. Though there was some variabil- This year COVID-19 guidelines are limiting the Cornell ity from place to place, a total of 5” fell May through July. Craft Beverages Laboratory’s capacity to process samples, Another 2” fell in August, not nearly enough to make up so you will see us start off with fewer samples this year. for the deficit. The scorching temperatures all summer have The Numbers. This year, we have started sampling a week aggravated the drought. Growers have been irrigating regu- earlier than last year – in part because it looked like we were larly, sometimes once even twice a week, since May. That going to have an early season. That didn’t exactly material- said, look great and yields, while slightly lower ize, and while I was out sampling I noted that many variet- than 2019, look to be average to above average. ies are still in the early to middle stages of véraison – and On August 4, a tropical storm blew through. Despite pre- the berries of some varieties (notably a and Char- dictions for several inches of rain, there was only a sprin- donnay block at Cornell’s Lansing vineyard) were notably kle. However, winds were steady, gusting to 70 mph. Most hard. In 2019, the first samples were collected September 3, vineyard blocks did well through this, particularly because so the fruit composition numbers from this year aren’t com- most fruit was not yet in veraison. The LIHREC (Long Is- parable (until next week’s samples). A general trend seems land Horticultural Research & Extension Center) vineyard to be that size is 0.1-0.4 g/berry smaller than last year – in Riverhead sits amid hundreds of acres of row crops and which may be a reflection of the dry weather in July. Acids is probably the most exposed vineyard block on the Island. are of course stratospheric, but soluble solids are mostly in Vines had a nice coating of soil and salt on the west side, re- the 12-18 ° range. Fruit looks good so far. sulting in some leaf burning. Fortunately, this occurred pri- marily on the south ends of rows. Overall, it could have been

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Page 1 much worse. The remnants of another tropical system are due on 8-29, though current forecasts are for some rain, which we need, and 15-20 mph winds. Bird pressure has been off the charts in the LIHREC vineyard. Commercial vineyards are also reporting heavier than normal pressure. The dry weather is un- doubtedly a factor. Fine mesh side nets are used in the LIHREC vineyard. This minimizes but does not eliminate damage. Birds still peck at clusters that are pressed against the net. This year, any little opening, top or bottom, has given crafty birds access to fruit. We’ve had to let robins and starlings out of the nets on a daily basis. Fun fact: starlings prefer . Long Island: The table grape “Jupiter” came out of the University of Ar- The table grape Jupiter was harvested on 8-27. This kansas breeding program to Alice Wise’s vineyard at Riverhead by mistake, tasty red grape came by mistake but everyone likes it but is a favorite of the crew at the Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center. so much – including the birds – that we kept it. Vines Photo by Alice Wise have done well with a minimal spray program after that. Outdoor tasting only, ok we can work with that. fruit set. In some years, a touch of downy appears late Sign-ins and health check-ins for vineyard workers, ok but it has never been problematic. we can work with that. No student help at the teaching Finger Lakes (Don Caldwell) vineyard, I can work with that (but maybe ignore the quality of sucker removal, thanks). Despite the late start to bud break, the closest analo- gous year for growers in the Finger Lakes for this year Growers and winery employees have risen to the chal- is 2016. How similar are the two years? Well, on 8/23/16 lenge, and maybe more than most years they deserve we had recorded a total of 9.03 inches of rain for the a toast. season in Dresden. On 8/23/20 we had 11.42 inches tal- lied at the same location. The long term average for Hudson/Champlain (Jim Meyers) rainfall in a season is 23.19 inches for comparison. This After a very cool April and May, higher than average year, June and July were actually hotter than in 2016 temperatures have raised accumulated growing degree and August looks to be at least on par. As a result, days in eastern New York vineyards to 5-year averages. we’ve seen varieties make up for lost time on their way Champlain Valley vineyards are actually well ahead of to ripening as the table shows five year averages. As shown in Figure 1, the growing degree day gap between 2020 and 2019 increases from Days Bud Break to Veraison South to North, indicating that Champlain Valley is Variety 2018 2019 2020 furthest ahead. This is the reverse of last year (2019), Riesling 101 101 92 where Champlain Valley was behind the previous year 95 100 87 (2018), and lower Hudson Valley was ahead. As Figure 2 shows, all regions started well below 5-year aver- 102 107 98 ages and are now either at or above 5-year averages. Lemberger 95 98 90 Figure 1 also shows that 2020 precipitation has been Gruner Veltliner 93 99 87 behind 2019 in almost all locations. Brix, TA, and pH data were not available at the time of writing, but will As in 2016, most growers have seen excellent fruit set be discussed in the context of each region next week. but berries are diminutive. Disease pressure, outside of greater Japanese beetle damage than we’ve seen in some time, has been low. Recent rains may change that quickly, of course. While COVID-19 has certainly been the elephant in the room this year (failing to maintain its six feet of dis- tance), communications between growers and wineries have mostly been positive. It seems likely many tons of Riesling will be left on the vines without a home this fall due to shaky demand, but overall, wineries and growers have faced the challenge together. Meeting on Zoom instead of in a pole barn, ok we can work with Page 2 Lake Erie (Terry Bates) The 2020 growing season started off cool and wet and bud break was 10 days later than the 40-year mean (5/15 in 2020, 5/5 LT-mean). Favorable growing condi- tions after bud break, however, advanced vine growth to meet an average bloom date (6/14, 55-year mean) in Concord at the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Exten- sion Lab (CLEREL). In general, the Concord crop size is average to below average because of several factors including spotty frost, the cool wet spring, and large crops the past couple years in some vineyards. Clus- ter size has been observed to be smaller than average and variable across blocks. Weather between bloom and veraison has been relatively warm and dry but the vines have maintained acceptable water status up to this point. Concord veraison kicked off just one day early and a quick ripening season is expected given the crop size and weather conditions.

Figure 1. Difference in cumulative Growing Degree Days (GDDs) and precipitation between 2020 and 2019 as of August 28th. Each colored circle represents a farm location. Local CCE offices are rep- resented by colored squares. Figure by Jim Meyers

Figure 2. Comparison of 2020 and historical cumulative Growing Degree Days (GDDs) in a representative vineyard from each of four sub-regions of eastern New York Photo by Jim Meyers

Page 3 Fruit Composition Report - 8/24/2020 The first samples were collected on Monday, August 24, and include yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN). YAN measurements will be taken every two weeks. Next samples will be collected on Monday, September 9.

Baco Noir Ber. Region Harvest Date Description % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Wt. g. Hudson Valley 8/25/2020 Benmarl SW HV 0.80 17.8 2.96 16.6\ Prev. sample ’19 Sample 9/3/2019 Benmarl SW HV 1.09 19.2 3.14 14.0 Cabernet Franc Region Harvest Date Description Ber. Wt. g. % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Finger Lakes 8/25/2020 Dresden 0.81 12.2 2.62 24.9 Finger Lakes 8/25/2020 W. Seneca 0.90 10.5 2.51 27.7 Finger Lakes 8/25/2020 Lansing 0.92 13.9 2.68 23.0 Finger Lakes 8/25/2020 Cayuga 1.09 13.4 2.66 20.4 Finger Lakes 8/25/2020 Keuka 1.42 12.6 2.64 24.4 Hudson Valley 8/25/2020 Benmarl SW HV 0.89 10.7 2.66 20.4 Hudson Valley 8/25/2020 Canoe E Central HV 1.03 11.6 2.97 13.8 Lake Erie 8/25/2020 Portland 1.17 7.8 2.56 >30 Long Island 8/25/2020 1.03 8.6 2.73 22.6 Long Island 8/25/2020 1.43 12.4 2.78 17.0 Average 8/25/2020 1.07 11.4 2.68 21.6 Prev Sample ‘19 Average 9/3/2019 1.23 12.8 2.84 19.4 62 Catawba Region Harvest Date Description Ber. Wt. g. % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Finger Lakes 8/24/2020 Keuka 1.71 8.9 2.41 >30 Prev Sample ‘19 Sample 9/3/2019 Keuka 1.99 6.9 2.45 >30 Cayuga White Region Harvest Date Description Ber. Wt. g. % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Finger Lakes 8/24/2020 Keuka 2.48 12.9 2.84 14.6 Finger Lakes 8/24/2020 Cayuga 2.44 14.9 2.99 11.4 Finger Lakes 8/24/2020 Dresden 2.38 14.4 2.86 12.6 Finger Lakes 8/24/2020 Ithaca 1.97 12.7 2.69 20.5 Average 8/24/2020 2.32 13.7 2.85 14.7 ‘19 Sample 9/3/2019 2.66 14.3 2.73 14.8 113 Chardonnay Region Harvest Date Description Ber. Wt. g. % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Finger Lakes 8/24/2020 Cayuga 1.19 13.7 2.79 16.3 Finger Lakes 8/24/2020 W. Seneca 1.30 15.1 2.81 15.8 Finger Lakes 8/24/2020 Dresden 1.22 17.0 2.82 11.4 Finger Lakes 8/24/2020 Lansing 1.05 17.2 3.00 11.0 Long Island 8/24/2020 LI-03 1.53 12.7 3.06 13.2 Average 8/24/2020 1.26 15.1 2.90 13.5 Prev sample ‘19 Sample 9/3/2019 1.41 14.1 2.90 15.2 128

Page 4 Concord Region Harvest Date Description Ber. Wt. g. % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Finger Lakes 8/24/2020 Keuka 2.19 11.2 2.64 19.1 Finger Lakes 8/24/2020 W. Canandaigua 2.14 9.8 2.58 20.9 Lake Erie 8/24/2020 Portland 2.49 10.0 2.68 18.3 Average 8/24/2020 2.27 10.3 2.63 19.4 Prev. Sample ‘19 Sample 9/3/2019 2.50 9.8 2.72 20.4 114 Frontenac Region Harvest Date Description Ber. Wt. g. % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Champlain 8/24/2020 1.32 17.3 2.84 19.2 Lake Erie 8/24/2020 Sheridan 1.12 17.0 2.94 22.3 Average 8/24/2020 1.22 17.2 2.89 20.8 Prev Sample ‘19 Sample 9/3/2019 Sheridan 1.18 16.6 3.06 22.7 469 Frontenac Gris Region Harvest Date Description Ber. Wt. g. % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Champlain 8/24/2020 1.37 17.2 2.78 20.2 Prev Sample ‘19 Sample 9/3/2019 Champlain Valley 1.10 15.8 2.85 22.4 166 Gruner Veltliner Region Harvest Date Description Ber. Wt. g. % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Finger Lakes 8/24/2020 Dresden 1.08 16.3 2.73 12.8 Previous Sample ‘19 Sample 9/3/2019 Dresden 1.26 13.9 2.81 11.5 41 La Crescent Region Harvest Date Description Ber. Wt. g. % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Champlain 8/24/2020 Central Champlain 1.35 18.6 2.78 16.7 Champlain 8/24/2020 Northern Champlain 1.26 17.3 3.00 15.1 Finger Lakes 8/24/2020 Geneva 1.21 22.7 2.93 18.5 Average 8/24/2020 1.27 19.5 2.90 16.8 ‘19 Sample 9/3/2019 1.12 17.1 2.87 17.6 68 Lemberger Region Harvest Date Description Ber. Wt. g. % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Finger Lakes 8/24/2020 Dresden 1.42 15.9 2.80 12.9 Finger Lakes 8/24/2020 Wayne County 1.80 16.1 2.88 15.5 Average 8/24/2020 1.61 16.0 2.84 14.2 Previous sample ‘19 Sample 9/3/2019 1.40 15.4 2.76 15.4 107 Region Harvest Date Description Ber. Wt. g. % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Long Island 8/24/2020 LI-06 1.74 12.0 2.81 22.0 ‘19 Sample 9/3/2019 2.10 15.6 3.11 14.5 170

Page 5 Marquette Region Harvest Date Description Ber. Wt. g. % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Champlain 8/24/2020 Central Champlain 1.46 17.7 2.75 18.2 Champlain 8/24/2020 Northern Champlain 1.53 18.5 2.94 15.4 Finger Lakes 8/24/2020 Dresden 1.21 20.9 2.84 16.2 Finger Lakes 8/24/2020 Ithaca 1.06 14.3 2.80 19.2 Finger Lakes 8/24/2020 Tones 1.26 21.0 2.88 17.5 Lake Erie 8/24/2020 Fredonia 1.26 19.1 2.94 14.7 Average Prev Sample 8/27/2018 1.29 18.8 3.03 13.5 ‘19 Sample 9/3/2019 1.23 17.1 2.90 17.3 214 Merlot Harvest Region Description Ber. Wt. g. % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Date Hudson Valley 8/25/2020 Canoe E Central HV 1.14 12.1 3.16 11.0 Long Island 8/25/2020 1.23 12.1 2.98 14.4 Long Island 8/25/2020 1.66 12.0 2.89 14.0 Average 8/25/2020 1.34 12.1 3.01 13.1 Prev sample ‘19 Sample 9/3/2019 1.65 16.6 3.21 10.1 89 Niagara Region Harvest Date Description Ber. Wt. g. % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Lake Erie 8/24/2020 Portland 2.95 10.8 2.78 12.5 Lake Erie Prev Sample ‘19 Sample 9/3/2019 Portland 3.58 12.3 2.91 12.3 101 Noiret Region Harvest Date Description Ber. Wt. g. % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Lake Erie 8/24/2020 Sheridan 1.34 12.2 2.79 19.2 ‘19 Sample 9/3/2019 Sheridan 1.47 15.1 3.00 17.8 242 Ber. Wt. Region Harvest Date Description % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) g. Finger Lakes 8/24/2020 W. Cayuga 1.07 14.3 2.89 12.7 Finger Lakes 8/24/2020 Ontario 1.24 17.2 2.97 11.7 Average 8/24/2020 1.16 15.8 2.93 12.2 Average Prev sample ‘19 Sample 9/3/2019 1.08 15.3 3.07 14.4 231 Regent Region Harvest Date Description Ber. Wt. g. % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Finger Lakes 8/24/2020 1.39 16.5 2.93 10.4 ‘19 Sample 9/3/2019 TDV 1.62 19.3 3.15 10.0 63

Page 6 Riesling Region Harvest Date Description Ber. Wt. g. % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Finger Lakes 8/25/2020 W. Seneca 0.98 12.5 2.6 24.5 Finger Lakes 8/25/2020 E. Seneca 0.98 11.2 2.63 23.1 Finger Lakes 8/25/2020 CL 90 Cayuga 1.01 12.5 2.74 20.1 Finger Lakes 8/25/2020 Keuka 0.86 13.8 2.66 19.4 Finger Lakes 8/25/2020 W. Canandaigua 0.97 10.5 2.56 26.6 Finger Lakes 8/25/2020 Dresden 0.87 12.2 2.56 22.5 Finger Lakes 8/25/2020 Clone 90 1.05 15.6 2.75 18.6 Finger Lakes 8/25/2020 Clone 239 0.96 14.9 2.72 19.7 Finger Lakes 8/25/2020 Clone 198 1.09 14.7 2.75 17.8 Finger Lakes 8/25/2020 Wayne County 0.97 10.4 2.67 27.3 Finger Lakes 8/25/2020 Lansing 0.76 11.0 2.62 24.5 Hudson Valley 8/25/2020 Nostrano SW HV 1.07 13.0 2.87 13.7 Hudson Valley 8/25/2020 Canoe E Central HV 0.92 10.7 2.87 15.8 Lake Erie 8/25/2020 Portland 1.40 12.7 2.8 18.4 Long Island 8/25/2020 0.91 7.3 2.83 19.6 Average 8/25/2020 0.99 12.2 2.71 20.8 Prev Sample ‘19 Sample 9/3/2019 1.19 12.4 2.81 20.0 119 Region Harvest Date Description Ber. Wt. g. % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Long Island 8/24/2020 LI-02 1.05 11.6 2.89 18.2 Prev Sample ‘19 Sample 9/3/2019 1.47 17.1 3.34 10.0 190 Seyval Blanc Region Harvest Date Description Ber. Wt. g. % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Finger Lakes 8/25/2020 Cayuga 1.34 15.2 2.89 12.6 Hudson Valley 8/25/2020 Benmarl SW HV 1.72 17.7 2.97 9.6 Lake Erie 8/25/2020 Portland 1.67 15.9 2.85 13.0 Average 8/25/2020 1.58 16.3 2.90 11.8 Prev Sample ‘19 Sample 9/3/2019 1.78 16.3 3.00 11.5 130 St Croix Region Harvest Date Description Ber. Wt. g. % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Finger Lakes 8/24/2020 Geneva 1.57 17.9 3.06 10.7 Prev Sample ‘19 Sample 9/3/2019 Geneva 1.80 15.2 2.92 12.6 142 Traminette Region Harvest Date Description Ber. Wt. g. % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Lake Erie 8/24/2020 Portland 1.32 11.7 2.62 21.5 Prev Sample ‘19 Sample 9/3/2019 1.41 11.7 2.60 25.2 83 Vidal Blanc Region Harvest Date Description Ber. Wt. g. % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Finger Lakes 8/24/2020 Dresden 1.18 13.2 2.75 19.1 Prev Sample ‘19 Sample 9/3/2019 Dresden 1.32 11.5 2.73 20.3 104

Page 7 Vignoles Region Harvest Date Description Ber. Wt. g. % Brix pH TA g/L YAN (ppm) Lake Erie 8/24/2020 Portland 1.75 16.4 2.79 20.7 Prev Sample ‘19 Sample 9/3/2019 1.54 15.5 2.79 22.0 237

This newsletter was made possible with support from the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, Constellation Brands, and USDA Federal Formula funding through the Cornell and New York State Agricultural Experiment Stations. Veraison to Harvest is a joint publication of:

Cornell Enology Extension Program Statewide Viticulture Extension Program Long Island Grape Program - Suffolk CCE Finger Lakes Grape Program Lake Erie Regional Grape Program Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Program Copyright 2020 © Cornell University

The information, including any advice or recommendations, contained herein is based upon the research and experience of Cornell Cooperative Extension personnel. While this information constitutes the best judgement/opinion of such personnel at the time issued, neither Cornell Coopera- tive Extension nor any representative thereof makes any representation or warrantee, express or implied, of any particular result or application of such information, or regarding any product. Users of any product are encouraged to read and follow product-labeling instructions and check with the manufacturer or supplier for updated information. Nothing contained in this information should be interpreted as an endorsement expressed or implied of any particular product.

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