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Wine harvest season is here! Wineries around the Okanagan are now starting to pick their grapes to make their upcoming wines.
The spring and summer weather pattern that leads into the harvest season often affects the timing of when the fruit is gathered.
“We had one of the warmest springs of the past decade, which jump started the growing season, with the cool, dry summer leading to nice overall ripening conditions,” said Lindsay Kelm of Quails’ Gate Winery.
“In the latter part of the season, the heat was squandered by the smoke which slowed ripening and led to us being a little behind overall.”
The grape varietal will also influence when picking starts as some types ripen faster than others.
The Maréchal Foch grapes are generally the first ones to be harvested at Quails’ Gate Winery, and this year was no exception with the first fruit being picked on Sept. 10.
At times, this year’s prolonged periods of summer smoke suppressed daytime highs.
Kelm commented that the smoke did not impact the taste of this year’s grapes, but it did slow down the ripening during the month of August.
Brendan Smith, associate winemaker at Rollingdale Winery, said because the smoke kept temperatures cooler at times, it may have had some positive effects on their grapes this year.
“The grapes normally go to sleep when it’s too hot, and the smoke helped with maintaining perfect growing temperatures,” said Smith.
“The ash from the smoke is also a natural filter for the soil and as the ash flows down, it can help the soil clean itself.”
It’s an exciting time for not just the winemakers but also for wine drinkers.
The harvest season coincides with the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival and the event kicks off today.
Until Oct. 7, the valley will be hosting events to celebrate our local wine.
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