Winemakers rejoice over 2018 harvest mostly uneventful with the cooler weather

Overall, Sonoma County growers have picked 15 to 20 percent of their crop, mostly fruit for sparkling wine and rosé.|

After about a month of picking, the 2018 North Coast grape harvest remains on a slow and steady pace because of cooler summer temperatures than in past years, likely resulting in a crop that will not be wrapped up until the first week of November.

Overall, Sonoma County growers have picked about 15 to 20 percent of their grapes, mostly fruit that goes into sparkling wine and rosé as those grapes are harvested at a lower sugar level, said Karissa Kruse, president of the Sonoma County winegrowers trade group.

Now winemakers are primarily focused on Burgundian fruit such as pinot noir and chardonnay used for still wine. By the end of the month, they will start turning their attention to late varietal reds such as cabernet sauvignon and merlot.

The 2018 growing season has been mostly uneventful, a relief to vintners after a 2017 season that featured a big Labor Day heat spike followed by the massive wildfires in early October.

The biggest factor this summer has been cooler weather with no prolonged heat spikes. For example, the highest temperature for Santa Rosa in the last month was 92 degrees on Sept. 10, according to the National Weather Service.

“The heat spikes have been pretty minimal,” said Ryan Zepaltas, the winemaker at Copain Wines, in Healdsburg, which will finish harvesting for the coastal region of Sonoma County next week. He will resume picking grapes in early October in Mendocino County’s Anderson Valley, a premium region for pinot noir.

“There shouldn’t be any excuses this year,” Zepaltas said.

Check back later for more details.

You can reach Staff Writer Bill Swindell at 707-521-5223 or bill.swindell@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @BillSwindell.

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