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w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m J a n - F e b 2 016 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 6 5 west part of the state weathered a terrible winter, with low tem- peratures hitting -21°F on Feb. 16. Prior to that, temperatures hit -15°F and -14°F. Centinari feels those earlier lows helped vines maintain cold hardiness. Still, vinifera saw no crop and hybrids such as Cayuga and Traminette struggled. "Vines were already weak from the prior year, so it has been tough," Centinari said. However, the south- east and even the central part of the state fared better, taking the rain of June and July. Worries over sour rot and Botrytis faded as vines basked in a warm, dry August and Septem- ber. Reds were riper than usual, meaning 22 °Brix or 23 °Brix. "Growers are very happy with the quality of the reds, and the Rieslings, in particular, appear to be quite good," Centinari noted. E v e n s o , s h e a d d e d , g r o w e r s across the state are looking to diversify their vineyards with vari- eties that can withstand low win- ter temperatures. CALIFORNIA MICHIGAN The winter came as harshly to Michigan as to any state, with the February deep freeze knocking growers on their heels again, said Dr. Paolo Sabbatini, associate pro- fessor of viticulture at Michigan State University. The extreme condi- tions gave Sabbatini renewed appre- ciation for Riesling. While the grape is known as cold hardy, its resilience surprised many in Michigan. "After these two years, the way it grew and bounced back to pro- duce a crop, even a smaller crop, was something to see," he said. Historically, the state has not had two back-to-back killer winters in half a century, he said, so grow- ers are looking for options. Varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah were so badly hit that some are moving away from them, Sabbatini said. "In 2014, they didn't harvest much, and growers spent a year coping with damage, spending a lot of money to prune and retrain," he said. "Now, it was another year with damage that would normally be once in 10 years." It has been a wake-up call, and more growers are now looking at the so-called "super hybrids" from Minnesota. Sabbatini and a team of growers also recently visited Germany to look into cold-hardy hybrids from Geisenheim. CALIFORNIA ONTARIO In Ontario, the winter of 2014- 2015 was even colder than the prior year, Polar Vortex notwith- standing. The winter began with snowstorms as early as the third w e e k o f N o v e m b e r, n o t e d D r. Andrew Reynolds, professor of viticulture at Brock University. The weather station above the escarpment in Grimsby record- ed -30°F in February. The flatter the vineyard and the farther its distance from Lake Ontario, the worse the damage. W i n d m a c h i n e s , c o m m o n i n Ontario, helped. However, when winds are greater than 9 or 10 miles per hour, wind machines are of no benefit, he said. Merlot, Sau- vignon Blanc and Syrah were hard- est hit. Spring came late, as did bud break, followed by periods of warm weather. But there was quite a bit of rain. July and August were warm, with periods greater than 80°F. Rain in the fall and through harvest was intermittent, but not bothersome given the lack of eastern seaboard storms or hurricanes. Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, for example, which are typically moisture sensitive, emerged without a problem and are of excellent quality. Similarly, Riesling and Chardonnay should make very good wines. The decent weather allowed Cabernet Sauvi- gnon and Cabernet Franc to hang into the first week of November, attaining 24 °Brix to 25 °Brix. CALIFORNIA MISSOURI Missouri enjoyed large, healthy yields after a wet growing sea- son. By the end of July, the state received more than 30 inches of rain, making it difficult to keep sprays on the vines. There was some black rot, according to Dean Volenberg, assistant extension professor of viticulture at the Uni- versity of Missouri, but less than expected. High heat set the stage for a strong year with Norton and Cham- bourcin. However, Vignoles has shown some susceptibility to sour rot and the fungal disease pesta- lotiopsis, which results in mummy berries. For some, the 2015 vintage in the East ended with better yields and quality than in the previous year. However, growers in some regions confronted the effects of the second killing frost in as many years and are now considering alternatives that could alter the direction of the industry. Glenn McGourty is the UC Coop- erative Extension Viticulture & Plant Science Advisor for Mendocino and Lake counties. The author would like to thank the following people for contributing information for this article: Sean White, Rus- sian River Flood Control District; Devon Gordon, Mendocino County Farm Bureau; Dr. Steve Lindow, UC Berkeley; and Farm Advisor Mark Battany, UC Cooperative Extension. Sean P. Sullivan is a contribut- ing editor for Wine Enthusiast and is also the founder of Washington Wine Report, an online publication dedicated to the wines and winer- ies of the Pacific Northwest. Sulli- van also writes regularly for Seattle Metropolitan, Washington Tasting Room, and Edible Seattle. He lives in Seattle, Wash. David Falchek is a regular con- tributor to trade publications such as Vineyard & Winery Manage- ment and Beverage Media. He also writes a regular consumer wine column for The Scranton Times- Tribune, in Scranton, Pa. Comments? Please e-mail us at feedback@vwmmedia.com. 2015