By Jason Bacaj jbacaj@dailyprogress.com
| 978-7268
Published: June 14, 2009
The rainy spring is encouraging local winemakers who are trying to continue their string of high-quality vintages — even if it does create a little more field work.
“It means great things in terms of growth,” said Tony Smith, co-owner of Afton Mountain Vineyards, “but a whole lot more vineyard management.”
The state’s grape crop has grown steadily both in the number of acres devoted to vineyards and the size and value of the harvest.
Virginia grapes were valued at $3.5 million in the 2000, a figure that climbed to just more than $9.8 million in 2008, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
That puts Virginia 10th in the nation.
For growers, the wet spring has been welcomed. But heavy rain during the day while the plants are pollinating can pose a danger, said Chad Zakaib, general manager of Jefferson Vineyards. A constant downpour can wash away pollen from the growing flowers. The best conditions are rainy at night and dry, breezy days.
“That’s ideal for pollination,” Zakaib said. “[The weather now is] not as ideal, but still perfectly good.”
The vines can grow so quickly workers have to go through the rows and make sure the new shoots stay on the wires keeping the vines upright, said Mattieu Finot, winemaker for King Family Vineyard. And the humidity is perfect for sprouting the two types of mildew in Virginia, downy and powdery.
“Traditionally, in France, you’ve got some roses at the beginning of rows,” said Finot, who is from France and has lived in Virginia for six years. “When you start to see downy or powdery mildew on the roses, it means it’s time to spray because it’s on the vines.”
Extra pesticide sprays are needed to keep the mildew from taking hold on the vines during rainy springs. While he doesn’t like to spray more chemicals, it’s practically impossible to produce high-quality wine without pesticides because of the weather in Virginia, Finot said.
The real trouble heavy rains present occurs during August, September and October, when the grapes are in the final stages of ripening, Zakaib said.
“The plant pumps energy into the fruit [as it ripens] and that’s what makes it sweet,” Zakaib said. “Heavy rain in August dilutes sugar in the grape.”
Diluted sugar in the grapes makes for less concentrated flavors, lower alcohol content and an overall weaker wine.
Local wineries have had solid years since 2001, with the last couple of autumns being particularly good — the 2008 vintage was fantastic, Zakaib said.
He wouldn’t attribute that to a climatic trend, but more to winemakers learning how to deal with the Virginia weather.
The increasing quality of Virginia wine has helped the local vineyards weather the economic recession. More and more people are looking for affordable products and entertainment, which many wineries provide through tastings and special events.
Wineries and the 350,000 cases of wine they produce a year fill that void, said Luca Paschina, general manager and winemaker for Barboursville Vineyards. An increasing awareness of local foods and produce has also been a boon to area vineyards, he said.
“I am in favor of buying local products if it’s good and priced well,” Paschina said. “Virginia wine is a good product and it’s priced accordingly.”
Local vineyards are trying to boost awareness of their wine in the area. Only five out of 100 bottles of wine consumed in the state are made in Virginia, Zakaib said.
“We still have a lot of room to grow,” Paschina said.