Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/620640
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 2 9 hile growers and vintners across the United States feel the impact of warming temperatures, the typically cool Willamette Valley is somewhat of a canary in the climatic coal mine. The area has seen a large swing in condi- tions during recent years, from the cool seasons of 2010 and 2011 to successive warm vintages in 2014 and 2015. Where- as the cooler years produced a relative shortage of fruit, the past two years have brought abundance. 2014 was a record-breaking year for the northern Willamette Valley, with produc- tion increasing from an average of 2.5 tons per acre all the way up to 3.36. The region brought in almost 51,000 tons of wine grapes in 2014, a 40% increase from the previous year. Then 2015 yielded another large crop, challenging the state's growers and winemakers to keep up. MAKING ADJUSTMENTS During a typical year in the Willamette Valley, getting fruit ripe can be the greatest concern. Not so in 2014 and 2015. "I've had to think like I'm growing in California," said Alex Sokol Blosser of Sokol Blosser Winery in Dayton. This has meant signifi- cantly adjusting canopy management prac- tices to account for the warmth of the year. "I wanted more leaf area," Sokol Blosser said. "I wanted more shade." "We've been leaving a little more leaf area in the fruit zone to try to prevent sunburn and overexposure," said Ryan Collins, director of vineyard operations NORTHWEST WATCH SEAN P. SULLIVAN Alex Sokol Blosser of Sokol Blosser Winery had to adopt California-style canopy management practices in 2014 and 2015. Willamette Valley Adjusts to a Changing Climate + Willamette Valley growers have adjusted to a warming trend by altering canopy management practices and hanging more crop. + The larger crop has confronted many winemakers with timing and capacity issues. + Wineries are increasing production, selling grapes and wine to the bulk market, and opening new distribution channels. + Many see these challenges as positive, but the long-term impact of warming temperatures remains unclear. AT A GLANCE Oregon responds to successive warm vintages A warming trend in Oregon's Willamette Valley is causing growers to change their farming prac- tices. Photo: Carolyn Wells-Kramer Photography