US: Northwest Grapegrowers Mull Damage

(Wines&Vines) - It's been a year of extreme weather for the Northwest. Record-melting heat in July was followed by September rains that washed away century-old records. Now, a cold snap has growers-particularly those in Oregon-worried that some of the region's newest vineyards may have suffered significant damage.

This past weekend saw temperatures dip to -2° F in Ephrata, Wash., according to the National Weather Service, breaking the previous record set in 1972.

Hermiston, Ore., registered a temperature of -8° F, while temperatures in Ashland, Ore., bottomed out at -17° F and Klamath Falls registered a low of -20° F, a degree lower than the previous record set in 1972.

Those temperatures have sparked concern among those familiar with local vineyards, especially the volume of new plantings in Southern Oregon and the Willamette Valley.

“Based on my understanding, the damage could be similar with that from 1996, when the industry was really hurt,” Gabriel Balint, an instructor and extension horticulturist in wine grape production at Oregon State University told Wines & Vines earlier this week. “I am concerned that the vine cold acclimation was really short, and the vines did not reached their maximum hardness.”

One grower who contacted Balint expressed concern that a year-old block might have to be completely replanted, but Balint cautioned that a coordinated evaluation of vineyards hasn't been undertaken.

“Hopefully, the vascular tissue was not affected too much and the vines can recover,” he said. Experience has shown Northwest vineyards to be resilient.