Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/53575
WAWGG Grower of the Year Honoree is a SURVIVOR I Despite a meager crop last fall, Rob Andrews is optimistic about the new season. by Melissa Hansen 70 out of 900 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon to harvest when the Good Fruit Grower inter- viewed him in October. "We got hurt pretty bad by the November freeze of 2010," he said. Vineyard damage was spotty in the Horse Heaven Hills, dependent on variety and loca- tion, but temperatures in his vineyards had dropped as low as minus 6.5 degrees Fahrenheit. "We're such a warm region, with a long growing season, that we just weren't dormant enough," Andrews said. "The temperatures dropped too fast before the vines could winterize." The last time that Andrews had winter damage in the vineyard was 20 years ago following cold temperatures of the 1990-91 winter. Since then, he's always picked a crop, though not always a full one, and has never lost any crop to spring or fall frosts. Waiting game Last spring was an anxious time as he watched for signs of life in the vineyards. The vines finally showed green tissue in July. "We waited, and we waited, and we waited to see green. It was so stressful, but there was nothing we could do. We've been in survival mode all year." Their grape contracts with wineries are by acreage and block, so wineries either had some fruit, no fruit, or had to decide if the scant amount was worth picking. He estimated that about half of their grape acreage will need work in the next two years to bring canopies back to normal. But despite 2011's meager crop, he remains optimistic for the coming year. For one, the cool spring and summer helped the vines heal and recover. His expenses in grow- ing the crop were less because he applied fewer cover sprays for powdery mildew and pests, and fortunately, he had crop insurance for some blocks that will provide some income to pay the bills. Beginnings Before World War II, the Horse Heaven Hills region, just south of Mabton, was largely uninhabited and used for bombing and aircraft target practice. The high plateau has an endless horizon and sloping benches that are well suited to vineyards. Today, Horse Heaven Hills has been transformed to some of the most sought after wine grape real estate in Washington—several 100-point wines have come from grapes grown there. With nearly 10,600 acres of planted grapes, it's the state's second largest American Viticultural Area in terms of wine grape acreage, behind Yakima Valley AVA that has about 13,500 acres planted. The Horse Heaven Hills AVA was approved in 2005. Andrews's grandfather George Washington Smith began farming in Horse Heaven Hills after WWII in the 24 FEBRUARY 1, 2012 GOOD FRUIT GROWER n a normal year, trying to catch Rob Andrews in the thick of grape harvest wou ld be near impossible. With more than 2,000 acres of grapes to pick at the diversified family farm, harvest is a whirl of activity. But there was an eerie quiet last fall at the Andrews family vineyards in Horse Heaven Hills. Andrews had no Merlot to pick, only a third of a crop of white grape varieties, and Rob Andrews, holding what was once a Merlot vine, said they wasted no time reworking their Merlot blocks, which were hit hardest by the November 2010 freeze. By October, suckers had already been retrained up to the wire. www.goodfruit.com txxx