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HARVEST REPORT and came into a more favorable range. Color was not a problem for most varieties despite lower sugar maturity. The wines should be bal- anced and long-lived, given the solid acidity and lower pH levels. Winemakers reached into their magic bag of tricks to make good wine from a less-than-ideal vintage. This included the use of sulfites at the crush pad, inoculation for quick fermentations, additions of concen- trate to boost sugars, fining agents, and in some cases, enzymes, to deal with the effects of Botrytis. Not all wines were impacted by the rain. There were also lots of red-wine grapes that made it into the winery before the rain, espe- cially lighter-than-normal zinfandel and pinot noir crops in the coastal regions. Interestingly, some of these red varieties were picked ahead of chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. This was in many ways a The Winery Solution compressed harvest, since most of the fruit in the coastal districts was picked from late September to the end of October. The challenge of controlling new exotic pests and diseases continues throughout the state. In Napa County, an area-wide effort to eradicate European grape vine moth (EGVM) is well underway, and quarantine regulations appear to be reining in the spread of this troublesome pest. Mendocino County appears to have eradicated the EGVM infestation in its bound- aries. A robust research program is underway to better understand leafroll virus where it appears to be spreading in Napa County, perhaps with various mealybugs as vectors. Light brown apple moth is being assessed, and eradication efforts are underway in several coastal counties. In summary, 2011 was a chal- lenging vintage that will result in smaller amounts of most varietal wines, but there will still be many good bottles to enjoy. WASHINGTON By Gary Werner Mother Nature seemed to give Washington state an encore per- formance in 2011. Many aspects of the challenging 2010 season were repeated across the region: cool spring, late bloom, high dis- ease pressure, delayed harvest and lower Brix. More positively, winer- ies reported another year of excel- lent flavor profiles. The story of the vintage actu- ally begins around the previous Thanksgiving. A sub-zero freeze descended on the night of Nov. 23, 2010, causing significant vine dam- age across the Columbia Valley. Fast-forward to the following har- Bottling Line Filters Filters Crushers WWW.VWM-ONLINE.COM Presses & Tanks Labelers JAN - FEB 2012 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT 47 AWS/Prospero 7787 Bell Road Windsor, CA 95492 Phone: (707) 838-2812 Fax: (707) 838-3164 P.E.C. Geneva 1902 Route 14N Geneva, NY 14456 Phone: (315) 719-0480 Fax: (315) 719-0481 Prospero Equip. Corp. 123 Castleton Street Pleasantville, NY10570 Phone: (914) 769-6252 Fax: (914) 769-6786 West Coast Service Center Main Office