Vineyard workers must control grapevines to get the maximum from the sun.
Growing grapes is in truth a battle with the sun. For grapes, too much or inadequate sunshine can be a problem. Throughout the developing period, the vineyard manager develops a love-hate relationship with the sun and are required to manage the vines to get the maximum from its energy, while still protecting the grapes from its potentially hurtful rays.
In April when the vines start growing out long new shoots, the vineyard overseers are just beginning their dance with the sun. Workers carefully pick which shoots are allowed to remain and which need to be cut back to open the plant up for just the right quantity of sun to embrase the baby grapes. This method permits the berries to acquire a steady dose of filtered sunlight through the maturing season. It is almost like a tourist going to the beach at the end of summer and getting sunburned as opposed to the local resident who has slowly been tanning throughout the season. The possibility is if the grape grower holds off too long to remove or trim the excess shoots, the grapes have a higher chance of becoming sunburned when the sun becomes more intense later in the season. This sunburned can actually be discovered in the wine's flavor once produced, reducing fruitiness and adding “cooked” characteristics.
As the grapes ripen, the vineyard overseer and winemaker will keep an eye on the sugar levels and pH (a measure of acid balance) of the juice to determine the optimum time to harvest. For most winegrowing regions, especially in Northern Europe, it can be hard to get all the sun required during the grape growing time of year for the grapes to become of age. Temecula wineries in beautiful sunny Southern California usually do not have this complication due to the warm weather and almost constantly sunny days. Temecula wineries can frequently have the opposite problem; too much sun all at once. Heat waves are rough on grapes and as the climate reaches 100 degrees, grapevines close down in order to conserve internal water stores. This can be bad for the winemaker because the vines could stop ripening before the grape is completely ripe. The grapes may also begin to lose water and raisin.
Zinfandel is a variety commonly affected by this issue since the grape is thin-skinned, slow to completely ripen, and relies on a long growing season with dependable warm weather. This is where the battle with sun sets in. The winemaker needs to gather the grape when the sugar levels are satisfactory and the pH levels appropriate. When the vineyards are hit with a heat wave before the grapes are completely ready the sugars will increase, but the seeds internally may still be green and the pH levels not yet adequate. A grape with high sugar missing the appropriate pH levels can end up producing a wine that tastes “green” and may be sour. On the other hand, when the heat wave recedes, the sugar allowance can go back down as the fruit rehydrates and you could finish up with a grape that is not acceptable.
Vineyard managers can help battle the heat wave by cutting back the baby shoots far ahead in the season, not over-cropping the vines, keeping the grapes well-watered during the high temperatures to avoid raisining, and carefully monitoring the grapes as harvest drawing near with a crew waiting close at hand to gather up the grapes at the perfect moment.
Wiens Family Cellars is committed to producing top notch “big red” wines with fruit born from the Temecula Valley . One of their most {important current goals is to yield a Bordeaux blend that is on par with the best of the Napa/Sonoma regions. Doug Wiens believes their 2007 vintage Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, some lots already sold out and others still maturing in the cellar, will affirm that Temecula can cultivate luxury reds among the highest quality in California . At the 2009 State Fair Wine Competition, the Wiens Family Cellars 2007 Temecula Valley Refugio Cabernet Sauvignon was awarded a gold medal and Best-of-Class for the South Coast Appellation.
Suzanne Schaffner is the marketing manager of Wines Family Cellars Winery in the Temecula Wine Country in Southern California. They have the most outstanding Big Red Wines of the Temecula Wineries. You can find Wiens new web site at http://WiensCellars.com and at http://Temecula-Wineries.net .
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