This is a highly complex question, fraught with countless "it depends on" considerations. That said, viticulturists generally do want long growing seasons. Long ripening allows components in the grape other than sugar-  tannin, for example to reach greater physiological maturity. Fully developed grapes, of course, hold more promise for fully developed flavors and aromas. Historically, perfectly ripe (but not overripe) grapes with long "hang times" have often produced superior wines that age gracefully.

Source: The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil

Excerpt from the SLO City News, Sunday, August 12-18, 2010:

Becky Zelinski and her husband, Lowell, share wine grape growing, harvesting and winemaking information with their customers in the best possible way, right in the vineyards and winery, through their First Crush winemaking experience.

Q: First Crush is a great way to make some wine country memories beyond the tasting room, let’s start with your memories of the first harvest you worked. How did it all unfold?

A: Having lived and worked in viticulture for several years, my husband and I finally got the bug to make our own wine. We picked enough fruit from a customer’s vineyard to make one barrel of wine (or so we thought).  We took it home and crushed, fermented and pressed it. We quickly discovered that making garage wine is not only challenging and probably impossible for most people – but it’s also expensive making small lots of wine. We even
had the luxury of being able to call all of our winemaker friends in the area and ask questions, borrow supplies, etc. My husband jokes that our first wine probably cost us about $100/bottle to make!

Nonetheless – we had a blast. The entire winemaking process is fun and interesting, but the best part is picking the fruit in the vineyard. Fall is my favorite time of year and I think the most beautiful season in wine country. I’m a photographer so I photographed the entire process, then turned my photos into a slideshow that I shared with family and friends via email. We started receiving numerous replies from people begging for the opportunity for this type of the experience.  This is how First Crush was born....

by Becky Zelinski

There’s much ado about a late harvest around Paso these days. It has been a relatively cool summer, which has most growers and winemakers watching, waiting and wondering how this year will turn out. Many people are even pontificating how we’ll still be picking grapes while passing the turkey.

While there may be a hint of truth to that turkey tale, we here at First Crush have a more pragmatic view of what lies in store.  First Crush viticulturist, Lowell Zelinski, Ph.D. took the proverbial vine by the cluster.  He’s been scouting the vineyards, collecting veraison information and comparing it to last year.

“Overall, I don’t think we’re too far behind where we were last year,” Zelinski said. “My information shows that many vineyards are at 80-90% of where they were last year and I even have some that are slightly ahead.”

However, Zelinski added that some are behind, which leads him to believe that there’s more than just something in the weather influencing grape ripening.

In the third week of August, Zelinski’s data shows that Syrah – in the Templeton Hills Vineyard (aka Victor Hugo Winery) in the Templeton Gap region – is at 90% veraison compared to 80% last year. In the same vineyard, the Petite Syrah is also ahead by 10%, the Cabernet Sauvignon is the same, but the Zinfandel is slightly behind.

A little further to the north just off of Highway 46 East at the Mitchella Vineyard, Syrah is at 60% where it was at 75% veraison last year but the Cabernet Sauvignon is at 70% where it was only at 60% last year. Ironically (or confusingly), this is generally a much warmer spot in Paso Robles, and yes, we have the temperature sensors and the weather data to prove it.

To further complicate matters, in the Oak Shadow Vineyard (a little further to the east of Mitchella), the Cabernet Sauvignon is way ahead of last year at 90% (2010) to 70% (2009).  However, the Cabernet Franc at Oak Shadow is only at 10% veraison where it was at 50% last year and the Merlot is the same as last year at 50%.

Are you beginning to see a (weather) pattern here? Well, we do not.  It appears that the varietal has more to do with the ripening stage than the weather or location.

And for those of you who are still reading and really interested…according to Dr. Zelinski, it appears that it’s the number of days from bud break, not the number of degree days* that affects the ripening rate.

So will the 2010 vintage be delayed? Only time and the fruit will really tell.  However, for now it looks as though some varieties may be harvested a little later than last year but the turkey tale is really much ado about nothing.

 (*Degree days are a measure of how much heat has accumulated for the growth of the plant.  Zelinski said there’s a difference in vegetative versus fruit growth, and it appears that the vegetative growth is more influenced by degree days than the fruit.  In other words…if it’s cold, you may have shorter shoots but the fruit ripens at the same rate.)

Savor specially paired first-class wine and cuisine among the Paso Robles vines.  Pick up tidbits of wine knowledge from our featured winemakers. Enjoy exceptional views of the vineyards during your evening of culinary adventure and learning.   

September 24, Winemaker Dinner at Croad Vineyards
Chef, James Hauser & Sous-Chef, Steve Isaac
Croad Vineyards is nestled in the Templeton Gap district of Paso Robles. Their Mission style tasting room and vineyard estate offers spectacular views of the westside Paso Robles vineyards. The estate vineyards are planted in the famous calcareous soil of the Westside Paso Robles and catch the plentiful sun by day and are cooled by the ocean breezes in the evening. This incredible microclimate combined with the optimal terra produces exceptional fruit, which enables winemaker Martin Croad, a New Zealand native, to produce perfectly balanced Zinfandel and Rhone blends characteristic of this beautiful area.