Reader Question: Rain Report

We received a question on the blog this week from Amber Share of Native Food & Wine, asking “Did you guys have to deal with heavy rain last week?”

We went straight to the source by asking Firestone Winemaker, Kevin Willenborg, for his take on the weather in recent weeks, and what it means for the grapes.

“We received just under 2 inches of rain from the storm at Firestone Vineyard, which started last Monday night and lasted until Wednesday morning. We didn't receive any more rain throughout the week and the ground and remaining grape clusters have been drying out quite rapidly.

Rain can always be a concern for winemakers and vineyard managers. The question is always whether to pick fruit before or after the rain. Many variables, like the specific conditions and soundness of the grapes, come into play in making that decision.

At Firestone Vineyard, we saw the rain coming and picked grapes that were fully ripened, then left the grapes that weren't until after the rain. Fortunately we knew we had open vine canopies, allowing for better airflow and drying in the fruiting zone once the rain stopped. Also, the grapes remaining on the vine had skins that were in tact and thicker – the more loosely clustered Bordeaux red varieties, which can weather at least a rain storm like this without botrytis (mold) concerns that can be problematic for thinner skinned, more densely clustered varieties. We also knew the weather forecast was for conditions to dry out fairly quickly after the rain.

We haven't had any noticeable rot, and any diluted affects of the water have now respired from the grapes. We will be looking to pick some of the Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot starting later this week, and the flavors and tannin textures in the skins are much improved even today than before the rain. They should be optimal by the end of the week. In this case, it was better for us to wait out the rain for better flavors and textures than to pick prior to the rain with unripe flavors and textures. Speaking for our Estate Vineyard, we will have some very concentrated Cabs coming out of this vintage despite the rain!"