Most of us are getting a little weary of our monsoon-like spring and early summer. But be thankful you\u2019re not trying to grow grapes. It\u2019s not bronze tans that local and statewide vineyard managers are sporting this season. That\u2019s rust.<\/p>\n
May was our sixth wettest and third hottest on record. Dulles International Airport recorded 8.9 inches of rain in May and June is on pace to meet or exceed that number. That\u2019s more than double the normal precipitation.<\/p>\n
For homeowners, the struggle is centered on tending lawns and gardens. Waiting for a yard to dry out before cutting is a balance between mowing and haying. And nurturing vegetable gardens is a soggy and muddy endeavor.<\/p>\n
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But consider managing acres of delicate grape vines. Winery owners are a driven lot with a passion for producing quality wines. But fine wine only comes from fine grapes. With over 26 wineries in Fauquier County, there is a nervous group of local vintners constantly scanning the the skies for dark clouds.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re seeing a lot of disease setting in and it\u2019s taking a significant amount of work to manage the problem,\u201d said Tom Kelly. Kelly is past president of the Virginia Vineyards Association, an independent consultant and director of operations for the Brown Bear Vineyards in Woodstock.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were a lot of problems during fruit set,\u201d said Kelly. That\u2019s tech talk for the self-pollinating process that ultimately creates precious clusters of plumb grapes. Normally that\u2019s a good thing because vine pollination is not dependent on bees and other insect life. But heavy rains in the middle of fruit set interfered with the natural process and in some cases stopped it dead in its tracks.<\/p>\n
Two of the keys to Virginia\u2019s successful wine ascendency is canopy management and spraying protocols. Rain dictates that costly sprays must be repeatedly applied to the vines when rains wash them away a mere day or two after application.<\/p>\n
Moreover, heat and rain produce explosive growth of canopy and keeps vineyard workers pruning without end to let light and air circulate around the fruit for healthy growth. Left untended, a vine will direct much of its energy into leaf production essentially smothering the berries.<\/p>\n
If the current weather trend continues, an already existing statewide grape shortage will be exacerbated. Kelly underscores the situation is not dire at the this point but drier weather must prevail to reach a successful harvest.<\/p>\n
Fauquier County<\/strong> \u201cOver in the Shenandoah Valley at Indian Springs Vineyard they\u2019ve had crop losses of 20 to 40 percent due to problems during bloom. We were lucky that only our Norton was affected.\u201d<\/p>\n The rest of his vineyard is surviving but is demanding almost nonstop canopy management. \u201cIt\u2019s like painting the Golden Gate Bridge. As soon as the crew is done they have to start over again. They work very, very hard trying to keep vigor under control and they\u2019re doing a good job.<\/p>\n \u201cBut my labor costs are up 20 percent over last year and there is nothing I can do about it. You don\u2019t have a choice to scrimp in the vineyard. If you do, you\u2019ll end up with diminished returns because quality goes down,\u201d said Roeder.<\/p>\n Roeder also highlights another issue affecting the industry; a pending shortage of qualified labor. Tending vines requires experienced workers and he thinks a smaller workforce will accelerate the current problems. He believes the government\u2019s efforts to deter workers can lead to serious shortages for both the state\u2019s wine industry and agriculture in general.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have enough help at Barrel Oak but I\u2019m hearing out there that this is an impactful issue for wineries. It\u2019s simply becoming harder and harder to find qualified people to work in the vineyards,\u201d said Roeder.<\/p>\n To further underscore the cost of farming grapes, Roeder recently purchased a new piece of equipment rarely seen on the East Coast. \u201cIt\u2019s called an Agrotherm and while it\u2019s not necessarily designed for incessant rain it does help.<\/p>\n \u201cThe machine is essentially a giant, super blow dryer. It helps dry the vineyard out and is also useful in a non-wet environment to boost the quality and quantity of the yield,\u201d Roeder said. \u201cIt was a big investment for us with a price tag was $52,000.\u201d<\/p>\n If the 2018 vintage were to fail to any large degree, wineries would be forced to purchase out-of-state fruit from California, Washington or Oregon. Winery owners don\u2019t want to go that route but if the viability of their businesses is at stake they\u2019d be compelled to do so.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we had to go with that option, it would essentially be a doubling my vineyard costs,\u201d said Roeder.<\/p>\n Central Virginia \u201cIt\u2019s been tough here. The rains can have a detrimental effect on pollination and fruit set. We must be particular about getting out in the vineyard and spraying and opening up the canopy with pruning,\u201d Barnard said.<\/p>\n Barnard goes on to opine if it\u2019s going to rain he\u2019d rather have it now than during harvest. A rain-soaked harvest can dramatically reduce fruit quality as the berries become swollen with water. The ensuing loss of flavor and color reduces the ability to produce high quality wine.<\/p>\n \u201cFor those who are on top of their game and know how to manage the problems with preventive measures they should be okay,\u201d said Barnard. \u201cI think we can ride this one out. It could be an incredible harvest depending on what happens over the next three months.\u201d<\/p>\n Andy Reagan, winemaker at the 68-acre Horton Vineyards located in Gordonsville reinforces Barnard\u2019s assessment. \u201cNot too many of our varieties have been hit. Our Touriga and Albariino are down. However, Silver Creek Vineyards in Nelson County have been hit hard but overall its not a terrible issue for us at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n He emphasizes one problem is he encountering is the inability to plant new vines because of wet soils. But taking a philosophical view Reagan said, \u201cThis is Virginia. You can\u2019t get riled up but must simply adapt to the weather.\u201d<\/p>\n Reagan does agree with Roeder about labor shortages stating, \u201cA growing lack of labor is more of a concern for me than weather.\u201d<\/p>\n As one steps back and views the tribulations of being a wine grower in Virginia the observation of American humorist Will Rogers comes to mind: \u201cThe farmer has to be an optimist or he wouldn\u2019t be a farmer.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Published in the July 4, 2018 edition of the Fauquier Times.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Most of us are getting a little weary of our monsoon-like spring and early summer. But be thankful you\u2019re not trying to grow grapes. It\u2019s not bronze tans that local and statewide vineyard managers are sporting this season. That\u2019s rust. May was our sixth wettest and third hottest on record. Dulles International Airport recorded 8.9 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[1],"tags":[105,175,180,262,701,932],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
\nCloser to home Brian Roeder, owner of Barrel Oak Winery in Delaplane, echoes Kelly\u2019s concerns. Roeder tends 30 acres of vines, one of the largest vineyards in the county, said, \u201cIt\u2019s not clear what the weather impact will be but there will be some. Due to a fungus this spring that we had never seen before we lost our crop of Norton. We expected to harvest 10 tons of the fruit but will pull less than a ton.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Another large grape growing region in the state is the Charlottesville area. Stephen Barnard is vineyard manager and winemaker at Keswick Vineyards located in Keswick.<\/p>\n