The Daily Bucket is a regular feature of the Backyard Science group. It is a place to note any observations you have made of the world around you. Insects, weather, meteorites, climate, birds and/or flowers. All are worthy additions to the bucket. Please let us know what is going on around you in a comment. Include, as close as is comfortable for you, where you are located. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the patterns that are quietly unwinding around us.
|
Sonoma County (mostly), CA
Continued below the orange coprolite
On August 16th I discovered that some of the pinot noir grapes in Sonoma conty were already being harvested. This seemed early to me and the one winemaker I talked to about it said, in essence: "it is what it is, they're ready when they're ready and it varies from year to year." I know it is well before normal "end of crush" parties, so I decided to do some "research" on the matter.
Background
Veraison is when grapes begin to visibly start to ripen. This happened at least a couple of weeks back with my cabernet sauvignon vine, which also has unusually large grapes this year. I noted it and reported it here on 08/03/14. Of curse, it may have happened as much as a week before that - I don't check them that often.
According to one source Sonoma County harvest usually begins in August with the light-skinned grapes and ends in late September or October with the dark-skinned grapes. Another source states that harvest generally begins in mid-August for grapes used in sparkling wine, while Labor Day is typically the start of harvesting grapes for still wine.
2013
I couldn't find any comparative data without serious looking, but I was able to find some stuff on last year. The 2013 North Coast harvest began with sparkling wine grapes being harvested in Napa County as early as August 1. That was considered to be "
an unusually early start." Sonoma County's first whites came in in mid-August, and the harvest was 95 percent done around October 15. That was considered to be
"roughly three weeks early".
2014 so far
In mid-July, Sonoma County vineyard managers were reporting the start of veraison, which was declared to be a week or two early. Napa valley growers had already reported versison as occurring five to ten days early. That much is evidence that the harvest will be early this year. The pinot I saw, if destined for still wines, was definitely early - it is a dark skinned grape. If, however, it is destined for bubbly, it might be less early than if it is destined for still wine.
So there's the harvest report so far.
**
"Spotlight on Green News & Views" will be posted every Saturday and Wednesday at 1:00 pm Pacific Time on the Daily Kos front page. Be sure to recommend and comment in the diary.
**
Now It's Your Turn What have you noted happening in your area or travels? As usual post your observations as well as their general location in the comments.
Thank you.