Hot days, cool nights yield ideal wine grape

PROSSER, Benton County — Just after sunrise, workers at Andrews Horse Heaven Ranch Vineyards begin picking merlot grapes. Walking briskly through the vineyard, their shoes smash the fallen grape clusters cut earlier to quicken ripening of the remaining crop.

Working in groups, they clip the grapes and place the clusters in white plastic bins.

Later in the day, the grapes will be shipped more than 200 miles to Coeur d'Alene Cellars in Idaho.

Statewide, the annual harvest of red and white wine grapes is under way. The Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers estimates this year's wine-grape crop at about 123,600 tons, slightly above last year's record crop of 116,760 tons.

Grapes are headed to hundreds of wineries to be sorted and crushed in what some winemakers say could be a vintage year. Chardonnay, merlot and white riesling are the top three wine grapes grown in the state, representing 80 percent of the crop.

Growers, such as Rob Andrews, say this year's hot and dry days and cool nights have produced an ideal wine grape.

"[The weather's] really good for bringing in the sugars and the flavors of the grape," says Andrews, co-owner of Andrews Horse Heaven Ranch and McKinley Springs Vineyards, which is 30 miles south of Prosser.

Location on the label

Washington state has nine designated viticultural appellations, allowing winemakers to identify their wines accordingly.

Name Established

Yakima Valley 1983

Walla Walla Valley 1984

Columbia Valley 1984

Puget Sound 1995

Red Mountain 2001

Columbia Gorge 2004

Horse Heaven Hills 2005

Wahluke Slope 2006

Rattlesnake Hills 2006

The hot weather has sped the ripening process, putting the harvest about a week to 10 days ahead of normal, says Vicky Scharlau, executive director of the grape-growers association.

The warm weather helps produce smaller clusters, which hold more concentrated flavor, says Joe Hattrup, co-owner of Elephant Mountain Vineyards in Wapato, Yakima County.

Wine made with smaller clusters also ages better, says Colin Morrell, owner of Lonesome Spring Ranch in Benton City.

"When you have a lighter crop, you end up with more intensity in the fruit," he says.

Smaller grapes and quicker ripening are signs of high-quality grapes that will, in turn, produce high-quality wines, says Wade Wolfe, owner of Thurston Wolfe Winery in Prosser, Benton County.

Like other growers, Andrews works with winemakers in deciding when to harvest. He tracks sugar and acidity levels to help winemakers decide picking dates.

Sometimes, the winemakers will come to the vineyard to conduct their own taste tests, he says. Once it's determined the grapes have the desired taste, growers must work quickly with their crews to get the crop picked and shipped. Wine grapes can be picked by hand or by a machine.

Prices for wine grapes have remained steady in the last few years, Andrews says. In 2005, growers received, on average, $930 a ton for wine grapes, according to the National Agricultural Statistical Service. Chardonnay growers received an average $755 a ton, while growers of sangiovese grapes received $1,341 a ton on average last year.

But like other crops produced in Eastern Washington, prices and quality can change with the weather, which can alter the product dramatically.

A large amount of rain or very cool temperatures can slow the grape's ripening process, or even cause it not to ripen at all.

Washington state is second to California as a wine-producing state with more than 400 wineries, 350 grape growers and 28,000 acres of vineyards. The wine industry contributes an estimated $3 billion a year to the state's economy.

Mai Hoang: 509-577-7685, or mhoang@yakimaherald.com.