A good time to harness some eye-catching bulk wine opportunities Perfectly normal temperatures and precipitation levels for the time of year have allowed the growing cycle across California to adhere to a traditional timetable, if not move slightly ahead. Intermittent 90-100°F heat spells,...

The weather across California was largely normal through April into early May, perhaps exhibiting a tendency to be slightly erratic, with warm spells of sunshine interspersed by cooler temperatures and some rain. Few if any issues were encountered in the vineyards; the frost risk has now all but...

March was wetter and cooler than average across California. Continued rainfall helped keep frost at bay, with no serious damage reported, and Sierria Nevada snowpack was at 110% of normal as of April 1st. As March turned to April, some Coastal vineyards at higher elevations received a sprinkling of...

The jet stream moved further south in February, bringing steady rainfall to Coastal California and also some precipitation to Lodi and the Interior. Significant snow fell at higher elevations: State-wide snowpack levels rose from 50% of normal as of January 31st to 104% by March 4th. This spring...

With the growing season continuing to run approximately two to four weeks behind a normal timetable, the 2023 harvest is fully underway in the southern Central Valley but just getting started or not yet ready to commence in most other areas of the state. According to viticultural climatologist...

September brought consistently warm temperatures to California but no weather extremes. Most areas are moving into the final stages of harvest earlier than normal, to varying extents, though parts of the Central Coast are noticeably behind – Monterey, for example, is not estimated to finish picking...

California’s 2020 crush is underway amid the unique conditions created by COVID-19, with bio-secure protocols being followed in the vineyards and in the wineries. The vineyards appear in excellent condition this year across the state: so far there has been very little disease pressure and few if...

What it means to winegrapes and what we can do about it I'm not an expert in climatology, and I’ll bet most of you are not either. That is why I listen to experts on the subject of climate change. I concluded, long ago, that not only is it real, but humankind has played a large part in the most...