Crush time - Vintners enthusiastic about grape quality

Driving through Mendocino County, it is evident that the grape harvest is in full swing.

According to Agricultural Commissioner Tony Linegar, this year's harvest is going to be a fruitful one. "We are seeing very high-quality grapes," says Linegar. He predicts a "big, but not huge crop," with the early heat spell and May rains providing good weather for ripening.

The current warm trend has sped things up, with both red and white grapes ready to pick, all at once. "We are finished picking Sauvignon Blanc and well into Chardonnay," says Linegar. "Pinot grapes are starting to be harvested in Anderson Valley, and smaller batches of Merlot and Syrah are being picked," notes Linegar.

Rich Schaefers of Beckstoffer Vineyards and spokesman for the Mendocino Wine and Winegrape Commission is very happy with the Chardonnay crop this season. "The production levels are just perfect and the wineries are very happy with what they're getting. This year's Chardonnay is really noteworthy," says Schaefers.

The Cabernet and Merlot crops are good overall, according to Schaefers, but not large.

There has been some concern about the recent heat stressing the vines. "We're seeing some irrigation so that the vines are well hydrated. This prevents raisining and burning of leaves," explains Linegar.

Linegar feels growers will see a marked improvement over the 2008 bottom line. "Last year was a difficult

year for grape growers. We averaged about 2.8 tons of grapes per acre, based upon 16,400 bearing acres. 2007 saw about 3.8 tons per acre. This will definitely be a better year, with closer to 4 tons per acre on average," says Linegar.

Organic grape growers are on the increase. "We are getting new applications for organic applications for organic registrations all the time," says Linegar. "We help a lot of growers work their way through the paperwork."

Linegar says that he also helps growers discern which substances are allowed to be used in an organic operation. "The paperwork can be really intimidating, so we try to facilitate that process. There's a paper trail from field to fork, primarily because very little field testing is done on organic crops." The office does have the authority to test for substances in situations where it suspects improper application or use of unapproved substances.

"Grapes lend themselves to organic production," says Linegar. "Sulphur is probably the only absolutely necessary material needed to grow grapes here. There are many excellent organic products for grape production - which are mostly fungicides," Linegar explains.

He believes that weed control keeps many grape growers from transitioning to an organic operation. "If someone invents organic herbicide, there would be nothing preventing any grape growers from becoming organic."

Labor contractors must register with the Ag Commission before they can work in the county. This year has seen an increase in the number of registered contractors. "We've registered nine contractors this year as opposed to six last year," says Linegar. He estimates the number of workers required to pick grapes to be in the thousands.

Schaefers notes that some growers are turning to machine harvesting. "The equipment has improved and the quality of the fruit picked is much better," says Schaefers. "The big plus is that machines work well at night when the fruit is cool," he explains.

Another trend, according to Schaefers, is nighttime hand harvesting. "People are resistant to it at first, but once crews are out there when it's not 95 degrees, they enjoy it," notes Schaefers. Vineyard workers have a slow-down period during the hottest part of the day. At night, workers are slower overall, but generally, the nighttime harvesting averages out to be as fast or faster than the slowest parts of day harvesting.

The harvest should be complete by mid-October. "Everyone I've talked to will probably be done within the next week or so," Schaefers says.

The most difficult task for grape growers is finding buyers in a down market. "This is a classic example of the more you know the less you know,'" says Schaefers. Consumption continues to grow, but more people are drinking moderately priced wines. "There are grapes in other parts of the state that fit into that niche. We're always evaluating what's attractive in the wine industry - the age of consumers, many things come into play," says Schaefers.

"We do our best every year," he says.