SLO County kicks off wine harvest early due to heat: ‘We’re seeing great flavors’
San Luis Obispo County wineries and vineyards have kicked off harvest season early as a heat wave sweeps Califorinia.
Winemakers in the Paso Robles and SLO Coast American viticultural areas reported that “the growing season has been one of the warmest in recent memory, resulting in a markedly early harvest with lower yields,” according to a news release from Soltera Strategies.
Experts have compared this year’s wine grape harvest to the harvest in 2017, when “a string of extreme heat waves” resulted in grapes being picked earlier than usual, the release said.
2022 saw “long stretches of slightly above average days, especially in late July and early August,” the release said. “The heat, coupled with ongoing drought conditions, is presenting growers with challenges, but also rewards in terms of quality.”
The lower yields come a year after SLO County grape growers experienced a bumper crop.
Farmers harvested 33,000 more tons of grapes last year than in 2020, according to the 2021 annual Agricultural Statistics report.
Those grapes had a value of $281.5 million, a 29% increase from 2020, the report said.
McPrice “Mac” Myers, winemaker at McPrice Myers winery in Paso Robles told The Tribune about a conversation he had with a friend about this year’s anomaly.
“He probably has 60 to 62 harvests under his belt. I asked him ‘Is this the earliest you’ve ever had?’’‘ Myers said. “And he said yes, absolutely the earliest he’s ever seen.”
Myers said he’s already harvested about 50 tons of wine grapes this season, with his first pick coming 20 days earlier than usual.
Although he’s seeing lower yields than usual this year, Myers said the grapes are turning out “beautifully.”
“There’s an incredible concentration for these low yields, but there’s this incredible energy to the wines too,” Myers said. “And so we’re seeing great flavors.”
“Warm and dry conditions this year are creating smaller, more concentrated grapes, which is ideal for winemaking,” the release said, producing wines with “intense and complex flavors, bolder colors, vibrant acidity and manageable tannins.”
According to Solterra Strategies, many Central Coast winemakers are predicting “a banner year.”