Temperatures over 100 degrees are common summer weather for northern San Luis Obispo County wine country. However, when grapes get too hot, it impacts the sugar content and makes for bad wine.
“This heat right now could be a challenge because it kind of keeps getting extended and pushed on," said Shale Oak winemaker Curtis Hascall. "It looked like it was going to be two days right around 100, and then all of a sudden, it's five days at 107.”
Luckily for local winemakers, the heat isn’t as bad at night. This allows workers to pick when it’s cooler outside.
“You don't want it getting too much over 100," Hascall said of persistent weather. "Those mid-nineties are kind of perfect for Paso fruit and especially if it gets down to 55-60 degrees at night, too.”
While heat can be a problem, so can cold weather. Colder mornings and fog outside can create mildew problems for grapes that are wet for too long.
“That moisture from this early morning fog... so unusual, so uncharacteristic," said Peachy Canyon winery director of retail sales Cynthia Bowser. "For this time of year, we've had that every morning.”
According to Bowser, not only do winemakers have to deal with battling pests and squirrels, but there has to be enough airflow between grape vines to allow for a good season.
"Most of the wineries that make their own wine from their own vineyards will do what's called chute thinning," Bowser said. "So they'll pull out some of the canes with leaves on it and create more airflow through each vine.”
Despite the heatwave for Peachy Canyon and Shale Oak, battling the elements hasn’t been an issue and they’re expecting a normal production this season.
