This growing season has been much cooler than usual, with many overcast damp mornings followed by warm afternoons.  Because of these conditions, powdery mildew has been a huge challenge this spring and early summer.  Fortunately though, the blast furnace of July came just in time to burn off the gloom and kill the disease’s growth.  Our brief heat wave will be good for the grapes, kicking off “veraison” which is a term for the grape ripening period when color begins forming in the berries.

It looks like the forecast for the next few weeks will be perfect with mild temperatures and fairly dry air.  We expect harvest to be roughly two weeks late this year due to early season coolness, which can be great for wine quality by pushing the ripening further into cooler fall conditions.  Cross your fingers for another wonderful vintage in 2010!