As we are in the middle of bud break, we are also watching the weather for several important reasons. Frost – If it freezes for long enough in our cozy section of Dry Creek Valley (locally known as the Banana Belt), shoots and clusters will wilt and die. We rely on passive frost protection which [...]
The unusually cool and foggy weather that we have had through July and now into August has origins in a cold Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) says Dr. Greg Jones, professor of climatology from Southern Oregon University, as quoted by Glenn McCourty in “Grounded Grapegrowing” in the August 2009 issue of Wines and Vines. PDO is [...]
The weather this year has been quite unusual, but in a good way. Normally, we swing from quite warm days into quite cool and foggy days as our little valley is quite influenced by the Pacific Ocean via the Russian River. This year the grapegrowing season has been especially cool. This leads to the gradual [...]