This is a brief update since my last posting of 30 August. Since then, weather in Eastern Washington has cooled a bit, but not by much with temperatures in the mid to upper eighties. A few days ago, I saw LeAnn Hughes, owner of the Patina Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley. She said she was hoping for cooler temperatures, for more "hang time." What this means is that when grapes ripen quickly, they develop less phenols, and, hence, less aromatics which contribute to the wines' complexity. This is analagous to the 2009 vintage when a hot summer resulted in grapes ripening quickly, and produced ripe, fruit forward wines. There were many very fine wines in 2009, but they will not be a long lived as the 2010's from a protracted harvest year.

Nevertheless, many growers are enthusiastic about the prospects for this year's harvest, using words like "fantastic" and "incredible" along with Facebook pictures of purple grapes. Most winemakers are expecting harest to be about two weeks away, which, if things get a bit cooler, that may induce grapes to develop more extracts and phenols. Things can change quickly, and, as the saying goes, "It ain't over 'til it's over." Stay tuned!

 

The Next Review Blog to be on September 16th.

Tomorrow, we will be leaving Walla Walla for Chelan, where we will visit some wineries (to the reviewed in the October issue) and the Methow Valley (for some hiking). The next Review Blog will be posted after my return.