Hip Tastes Blog

Hard Times: Harvest Report 2008
filed under: Ramblings

I just wrapped a story about this year's gut wrenching growing season and harvest in Cali wine country for WineCountry.com. The piece includes input from some of my favorite (and most knowledgeable) people in wine country, The Hobo Wine Company's Kenny Likitprakong (winemaker), David Arthur Vineyards' Nile Zacherle (winemaker) and Medlock Ames Kenneth Rochford (general manager). I've excerpted the beginning here, and definitely click on the link to check out the rest at WC.com if you're looking for the scoop on what 2008 is shaping up to be like in the bottle.

(Pictured - I snapped thick smoke beyond the bocce court at Solage in Calistoga this summer.)

"Admittedly, California vintners have been through nothing if not the ringer this growing season. Starting with a devastating frost in late March - the worst on record in more than 30 years - that decimated as much as 30% of some vineyards' crop, 2008 has been a year that's tested the mettle of just about everyone close to winemaking in the Golden State, most of all those in hard-hit Northern California. To wit, on the heels of spring's frosts a series of devastating summer fires raged through wine country, causing winemakers to fret still more - this time about the potential impact the abundant smoke might have on their as-yet-unmade wines. Hard times, indeed..."

Continue reading at WineCountry.com

Posted by Courtney on September 26, 2008 12:31 PM