Harvest on hold

Cool weather has slowed Sonoma County's grape harvest, but it could be a blessing in disguise, winemakers and growers said Wednesday.

"It's giving wineries a bit of room to breathe," said Jim Murphy, an Alexander Valley grape grower who supplies Kendall-Jackson, Rodney Strong, Beam Wine Estates and other vintners.

Still, some growers scrambled to harvest the last of their chardonnay grapes Wednesday as stormy weather headed toward the North Coast.

The storm is expected to bring showers to Sonoma County today, according to AccuWeather, a private weather forecasting service.

Delicate white grapes such as chardonnay could be damaged by wet weather, said Evelyn White, winemaker at Taft Street Winery in Sebastopol.

"It's not going to do well if it gets too wet," she said.

But most growers aren't worried about showers, said Nick Frey, who heads the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission.

"If it's a light shower, there shouldn't be a problem," Frey said. "Most of the whites are in, and the reds can tolerate a little shower."

Growers keep a wary eye on weather forecasts as summer turns to fall, with most of the county's $430 million winegrape crop still hanging on the vine.

About 55 percent to 65 percent of the crop has not yet been harvested, Frey said.

"This cool weather is going to stretch it (the harvest) out a bit, but I doubt we'll go into November," he said.

The once-frantic harvest was interrupted two weeks ago, as cooler temperatures slowed down the ripening process.

Sonoma County has recorded lower than normal temperatures since Sept. 7, with daytime highs in the 70s to low 80s. Cool temperatures are expected to linger until Sunday.

The lull has given wineries a chance to drain some of their tanks and get ready for the next wave of grapes, said Rene Byck of Paradise Ridge Winery in Santa Rosa.

"It's like two harvests in one season," he said. "We had a big rush early on, but there aren't a lot of grapes coming in now. It's a nice little break."

At Paradise Ridge on Wednesday, cellar crews were pumping out tanks and making other preparations for a new round of deliveries Friday.

Taft Street also was taking advantage of the pause, White said.

"We're emptying tanks, getting ready for the next big slug," she said.

Hot weather in July, August and the first week of September prompted an early start to the 2007 harvest, Frey said.

"It looked like it was all coming at once," he said.

Daily temperatures hit 89 degrees, on average, during the first week of September. But the weather began to cool starting Sept. 7. Since then, the average daytime high in Santa Rosa has been 76 degrees, compared to a 30-year seasonal average of 82.

Cooler weather was a blessing, said Pat Henderson, winemaker at Kenwood Vineyards.

"It hit in the nick of time. The grapes were getting ripe faster than we could pick them," he said. "It's given us a chance to catch up."

Slower ripening has helped the grapes' quality, said Randy Ullom, winemaster at Kendall-Jackson.

"We're ecstatic with the flavors," he said.

This year's crop is smaller than 2006, when Sonoma County growers harvested 216,000 tons of winegrapes, Frey said.

The 2007 crop should be closer to 185,000 tons, he said. Such a decline in tonnage isn't unusual after two years in a row of full crops, Frey said.

Cool weather last spring affected the way vines flowered, resulting in smaller grape clusters, he said. Still, "the fruit's been really clean," Frey said.

Most of the county's sauvignon blanc is harvested and chardonnay is close behind, he said. Pinot noir and zinfandel are almost done, while harvesting of merlot and cabernet is under way, Frey said.

You can reach Staff Writer Steve Hart at 521-5205 or steve.hart@pressdemocrat.com.