Prince Edward County 2023 vintage so far
The harvest of grapes in Prince Edward County is underway. Most of the grapes destined for sparkling wines started coming off the vines within the last few weeks and this weekend many wineries started picking for their still wines.
This usually dry warm weather we are enjoying this September is balancing out the the rest of the year.
It was not an easy year to be growing grapes in the county, but it rarely is. First a deep cold came in the middle of February that threatened the vines as they slept. Then a frost in April which further endangered the wines.
Next came the rain. And humidity. A lethal combination for any grape variety, not to mention the thin skinned pinot noir which the county is known for.
As a result, black rot, powdery and particularly downy mildew were all serious threats to the growers here this year.
Andre Gange at Last House Vineyard told me that, “by the end of July, the canopy on every plant was infected and so were the grape clusters.”
At that point he was about to give up on the grapes for the year and focus on next year’s growth. But instead he fought back and within a few weeks, he started to see some “significant new growth in the canopy. The vines were fighting back! The new leaves would help ripen the remaining fruit.”
Just as wines taste very different if they are grown across the street, vineyard location is very important to many of nature’s menaces.
Fred Picard, winemaker at Huff Estates, said that he has had, “No rot/botrytis pressure, the grapes are ripening very well.”
He went on to say that with 3+ tons/acre he is looking at “one of the best vintages for Huff.”
Chris Morandin of Morandin wines thinks his 5 acre vineyard at Greer and 33 will yield close to or even more than 10 tons. Its s struggle to get 2 tons in these parts and combined with the wet weather he told me that, “the fruit is clean and will likely be picked this week before the rains come next weekend.”
Battista Calvieri at Hubbs Creek said that he hard a hard time controlling downy and powdery mildew due to the wet and humid conditions of 2023. “The chardonnay took the biggest hit” but you will be happy to learn that his pinot gris and pinot noir are looking good, though down about about 25%.
Battista will also pick his vineyard this coming week.
He also reminded me that, “the vintage is made in September.” And in this case, after the year we have, this warm weather has given great relief, and potential, to the wines from 2023 in the county.