Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/197178
tions of fungicides. Growers whose sites and trellises lend themselves to mechanized leaf pulling had fewer concerns. Nat DiBuduo of Allied Grapegrowers says leaf-pulling delays led to powdery mildew issues in some areas. While Lerner considers himself fortunate to have a strong base of full-time employees, he still relies heavily on seasonal labor during harvest. "I had three goodpaying jobs available, driving tractors during night harvesting, and couldn't find anyone to fill them," NEW ICEWINE STANDARD New regulations governing the standard identity for icewine are scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2014. From that date on, Canadian wineries that produce sweet wines by any means other than using grapes that have been frozen naturally on the vine, won't legally be allowed to label their products as icewine. Canada developed new standards for the production and labeling of icewine to ratify its membership in the World Wine Trade Group (WWTG), an association of eight New World wine producers, of which Canada is a founding member. Similarly, 14 V I N E YA R D & WIN E RY MANAGEM ENT | he said. At the same time, he said he's heard "horror stories" about peach growers being forced to walk away from entire crops when labor wasn't available during harvest. Recent efforts by federal officials to curtail illegal immigration in California have focused on sweeps targeting those convicted of serious or violent crimes and the use of radar surveillance to monitor the coastline for drug and immigrant smuggling activity. As Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation that allows undocumented residents to acquire a driver's license, California maintains a less punitive approach toward illegal immigration than many southern and southwestern states, but the cumulative effects of tighter border controls are being felt by industries that rely on immigrant labor. With immigration reform in limbo as the U.S. House of Representatives takes a piecemeal approach to the Senate's bipartisan bill, DiBuduo said his growers wholly support the commonsense reforms that are being proposed, which include a path to citizenship for about 2.6 million people who are living in the country illegally. He recently met with Sen. Diane the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) act, which was established there in 1999, paved the way for Canadian exports of icewine to the European Union in 2001. The WWTG stipulates that only wine made exclusively from grapes that have been naturally frozen on the vine may be labeled as icewine. The style accounts for 45% of Canada's wine export revenue, yet only 1.2% of wine export volume. In an effort to increase the production of similarly styled wines, some producers have used other techniques to freeze Nov - Dec 2013 Feinstein and Reps. Jim Costa and Xavier Becerra, who are working to put a plan in place to convey that message. "It's been frustrating," Lerner said. "We've had no control over what's being done with our borders, and as much as everyone talks about local, fresh, organic food, our markets are filled with lower-priced imports." A federal study released in July detailed the economic benefits of fixing the immigration system and, according to the Congressional Budget Committee, the bipartisan Senate bill would increase the labor force by 3.5% in 2023 and 5% in 2033. But even with reform on the horizon, Lerner wants to see policies that work in practice. "Why are we even talking about legislation like a stair-step structure for minimum wage increases when, from the looks of things, there won't be any labor available?" he asked. When queried about what the future holds if reforms don't help ease the worker shortage, Lerner replied, "More mechanization and fewer ranches. But, as it stands, I still can't put a robot down a row." grapes. For example, a common practice in Quebec, where the snow is so high that it reaches to the tops of the vines, is to pick grapes and leave them in nets on top of the vines until they freeze. The wines made from the berries frozen in this way have been labeled as icewine. After Jan. 1, only wines made from grapes naturally frozen on the vine, such as the Henry of Pellham Riesling Icewine, will be allowed to be labeled as icewine. "Most of us are legitimate," said Paul Speck, w w w. v wm m e d i a . c o m