The ripening period is the home stretch of the growing season.  During this time, grape berries experience dramatic physical and chemical changes as they transition from hard, green, acidic, and unpalatable to soft, pigmented, sweet, and flavorful.  These changes and continued berry expansion draw heavily on internal vine resources, creating what has been termed crop stress.  After ripening begins, the viticultural focus is supplementing resources and protecting vines as needed to sustain their ripening functions.  Before turning our attention to ripening p

Thank you to wine industry promoter and friend of EDWGGA, Lee Hodo, for forwarding this link to a February 2020 Wine & Spirits Magazine article which includes an excellent take on Sierra Foothill grenache. Lee strongly encourages Sierra Foothill winemakers to send samples of their Foothill-grown grenache to wine publications as “many of our own winemakers are making beautiful examples of this variety.” The link to the article is below.

by Gabriel Froymovich

Link to article:https://www.eldoradograpes.com/index.php/resources/education/

While Gabriel's report is from July 2019, it remains something to keep in mind as growers think about 2020 pricing and contract negotiations.