What does all this cold California weather mean?

As most of us who live in California know, we are still waiting for the 2010 summer to begin. One only has to scan the internet, on sites such as Press Democrat and WineBusiness.com, or just walk around outside, and it will become clear that this has been the coolest summer in over 50 years. On average, this summer has been about 7 degrees cooler than previous years. So what does all this mean for our precious wine grapes, and the 2010 vintages? First, Relax, and take a deep breath, the Twisted Roots Petite Sirah will continue even in 2010.

All joking aside, many grape growers in California truly are concerned about their grapes, and when, or if, they will ripen this year. When growing grapes for wine, there is a process called veraison that must happen before flavors, and sugar, is developed in the grapes. As grapes near the time of harvest, they begin to change color (going through veraison), and with warm temps, begin to develop the complex fruit flavors that create the wines that we know and love. If veraison doesn't happen, then the grapes cannot be harvested, and if only partial veraison happens, then harvest becomes very difficult. On the other hand, veraison may actualy happen, but because of the lack of warm weather, the brixs levels will be much lower than normal. So what if the "brixs" are low, what does that really mean.(Our next blog will talk further about brixs and how they relate to alcohol levels in wine)Brixs is a fancy word for sugars, which in the end make wine, wine, and not just grape juice. Brixs are responsible for flavor, alcohol levels, and over all complexities. Many in the wine world will argue that without the right level of brixs (too high or too low), the resulting wine will be inferior. As with many things in the world of wine, there are as many opinions about this as there are wines on the market. It might be true that instead of your favorite wine coming to market at 14% alcohol, it may only be 13%. You may also notice a lighter, less complex, flavor, and generally a gentler wine, but overall you will still have great wine. While the concerns this year are valid, we are not generally worried about the 2010 wine supplies in California.

So if you are lucky enough to see a 2010 vintage of your favorite California wine be made, you should count yourself lucky, and your wine maker even luckier. We also appreciate the fact that the world is not only about wine, and that there are lots of other farmers in California who are struggling to make ends meet this year. We are proud of our farming background, and the farmers in the Twisted Roots family, and hope that very one else has a good year.