As I write this letter on Oct. 14, the first rainfall of the season is falling softly in California’s North Coast counties, where Wines & Vines is based. The forecast calls for two more days of likely rain, totaling more than an inch in some spots. The conventional wisdom holds that grapevines appreciate a good watering just after giving up their fruit for the year. So this year nature is handling the job rather than irrigation pumps.

The soaking was perfectly timed for many wine grape growers, including Mendocino County, Calif.,-based Bonterra, whose CEO Giancarlo Bianchetti said that his crews brought in their last organic and Biodynamic grapes just one day before the rain started. Bill Easton, owner and winemaker at Terre Rouge and Easton Wines in Amador County, Calif. was rushing to harvest the last of his Syrah at 2,500 feet elevation. Many growers noted that Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, both late ripeners, were still on the vine in a number of places, however.

According to Jane Firstenfeld’s report, almost everyone in California was pleased with the growing season and the pace and conditions of harvest. Kevin Phillips of the Michael David Winery is not a BS artist, but he enthused to us recently: “I’ve been running harvests directly since 2002 for MDW, and (knock on wood) this is hands-down the best vintage from Lodi I have ever seen. It stretched out to provide great hang time without over ripening. Really looking forward to seeing this vintage in the bottle!”

In a presentation at the Wine Industry Financial Symposium in late September (which was especially content-rich and relevant this year), Glenn Proctor of Ciatti Co. brokers predicted a good but not record-breaking harvest of 3.9 million tons statewide.

Looking forward, as the quieter, calmer time of year approaches for both growers and winemakers, we are excited to bring you an issue full of resources that will help you start planning for the 2017 vintage. Foremost in that regard is the 43-page special section that’s a tradition in November, the Winery & Vineyard Supplier Guide. The supplier guide lists active suppliers of equipment, supplies and services for the North American wine industry, including all their contact information and what’s new from their companies. You will want to keep this issue on your desk or your dashboard for reference throughout the year.

Also from the supplier point of view, managing editor Kate Lavin surveyed a wide swath of suppliers for the ninth year in a row to see how well they think the wine industry is doing. Senior editor Andrew Adams looked at peristaltic must pumps for the monthly Product Focus article, and contributor/winemaker Richard Carey on the East Coast tested spectroscopic analysis equipment for winery labs.

In this issue you will also find a great Technical Spotlight about Davis Estates in Napa Valley by Adams, an in-depth exploration of potassium in the vineyard and in wine, a good primer on avoiding oxygen uptake during bottling, and a timely look at what’s new to improve your product packaging.

Here’s hoping that your harvest and fermentation will soon be complete and you can take some downtime to digest this information-packed issue at your leisure.
—Jim Gordon