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HARVEST REPORT mental vineyards on the vines 12 days longer than usual, to no effect. However, some parts of the state found that more hang time did help, and Wolf said that in the final analy- sis, some very good 2011 wines will be made. TEXAS In contrast to the eastern states, Texas vineyards faced excessive heat and drought. Growers with wells continued to operate, how- ever, and will make very good, extracted, balanced wines in 2011, said Russ Kane, an author special- izing in Texas wine. The state avoided frosts, which can hit through April, and the dry weather translated to a disease- free year. The evaporative effect of heat, and a bumper crop in 2010, pushed 2011 yields down by 30%- 60%, Kane said. Harvest was two to three weeks early, but Brix lev- els were appropriate, coming in at between 22-24 degrees. Mediterranean varieties such as tempranillo, touriga nacional, viog- nier and roussanne proved their ability to withstand variable weath- er, Kane said. Ed Helman, viticulture extension specialist with Texas A & M Uni- versity, said growers would irrigate through winter to prevent root sys- tems from desiccating as they wait for rain. GEORGIA In 2011, Georgia emerged as another state that would be the envy of the East. Phil Brannen, University of Geor- gia professor of plant pathology, described vineyards as somehow protected from the ravages of weather: spring tornadoes skirt- ed around vineyards. Later in the season, tropical storms avoided vineyard areas. "We had a very different year than states to the north," he said. Vines emerged from winter with no problems. Spring was mild, save for a late-April frost that caused some leaf damage. Torna- does tiptoed around vineyards in 52 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT JAN - FEB 2012 Harvest at Benigna's Creek Vineyard & Winery in Pennsylvania. southeast and western Georgia. A series of freak hail storms left vines unscathed. Summer was warm, with limited early- and late-season rains. Even chardonnay, which nor- mally gets hit by Botrytis, emerged clean. Late-season downy mildew did not get out of hand. "We are always at the mercy of the elements, but his season was almost perfect," Brannen said. PENNSYLVANIA A rain gauge may best tell Penn- sylvania's story. With total rainfall well exceeding 24 inches of normal in much of the state, growers faced a challenging season. Penn State University's Chien said after the long and cold winter, the vines emerged with some inju- ry. Bud break was late, in the cool spring, and growers were already looking at a reduced crop. In July and August, things improved with dry, warm weather that helped vines catch up. Then the rains came and didn't leave, with Pennsylvania receiv- ing the brunt of the hurricane rem- nants. "The farther west you were, the better off you were," Chien said. But even in places such as Erie, sunshine was lacking. White wine will be the strong category rising from 2011, Chien said. A greater proportion of reds will be used for dry rosés or spar- kling wines. FLORIDA Florida's muscadine-centered industry had another exceptional year with an abundant and high- quality harvest. It was a dry year, with 20 fewer inches of rain than normal, said Dr. Stephen Leong, director of the Center for Viticultural Science at Florida A & M University. It was slightly hotter than usual in 2011, resulting in a harvest coming in a week earlier. Most grapes were picked in August, and even those were often over-mature. "All in all, it was a really good year," Leong said. MISSOURI Another state that would have swapped its sun for another's rain was Missouri. The typically wet and humid state was hit by a sum- mer drought and heat wave that left grapes baking in the sun, said Marco LiCalzi, enology program leader at the Institute for Continen- tal Climate Viticulture & Enology. This confounded growers, who typ- ically leaf-pull and keep their fruit zones exposed. "We had a sunburn problem…that sounds so Califor- nian," he said. The dry weather brought relief from disease pressures and has- tened harvest, which came three weeks early. The across-the-board low acids have an upside for the state's trademark red grape, Nor- ton. Its notorious acids will be ren- dered more manageable by the growing-season heat. Comments? Please e-mail us at feedback@vwm-online.com. WWW.VWM-ONLINE.COM