Vineyards cope with freeze damage; Toll from January cold estimated

Bone-chilling January temperatures, where the mercury plummeted well below zero in Eastern Washington, took their toll on the state's vineyards.

Vineyard owners and managers could only speculate about the damage right after the freeze. But with closer inspection of the vines this spring, damage is evident in prime grape-growing regions such as Walla Walla, the Tri-Cities, the Red Mountain area and in pockets of the Yakima Valley.

"We're preparing for about a 15 percent loss" of the wine-grape crop statewide, said Stacie Jacob, spokeswoman for the Washington Wine Commission.

The loss is uneven, however. Jacob said some small vineyards will lose a high percentage of their crop this year, but the majority of vineyards were undamaged.

"It's Mother Nature and farming, and each time it occurs, we learn how important it is to diversify our grape crops," Jacob said.

Although Jacob admits the state will see a smaller wine-grape crop in 2004, she said the state's wine industry is in better shape following this freeze than it was in a similar situation in 1996, when fewer vineyards and wineries were forced to absorb more damage. Since 1996, the state's wine industry has doubled, to $2.4 billion. The industry now is made up of more than 240 wineries, 300 wine- grape growers and 29,000 vineyard acres.

Consumers will probably not notice much of a change in wine prices for the 2004 vintage, said Steve Burns, executive director of the wine commission. Most wineries buy more grapes than they need to prepare for cases such as a freeze, and the larger wineries often will share their extra with the smaller wineries, he said.

"It may be a smaller crop, but from a quality standpoint, the intensity of the grapes could make this a very good year," Burns said.

Vineyards in the Walla Walla area were hit hard by the January arctic blast.

Rick Small, owner of Woodward Canyon, said the winery's own vineyards sustained some damage, but he thinks he will ultimately end up with only a slightly smaller crop than he was expecting.

"I think we'll be OK," Small said. "The damage was widely varied. Ironically, the vineyards with the highest elevation seemed to sustain less damage that those on the valley floors, where the freeze lingered."

Dick Boushey, owner of vineyards just north of Grandview and Prosser in the middle of the Yakima Valley, said he is dreading the phone calls he must make to small wineries that rely on his crops for their wine production.

"My merlot was hurt the most," Boushey said, particularly the merlot grapes grown at lower elevations. "At 1,200 feet, the merlot will be fine. But it's painful and awkward to make the phone calls to those who were counting on that fruit.

"It's hard because I know those small wineries will be hard- pressed to find new sources of fruit. I just hate these years when it freezes," he said.

Dean Morrison, who owns 23 acres of vines in the Walla Walla area, said he would like to be optimistic, but fears he will lose most of his crop this year.

And Trey Busch, winemaker for Basel Cellars in Walla Walla, said he is seeing substantial damage in his estate vineyards, which are those owned by the winery.

However, Mike Sauer, vineyard manager and owner of Red Willow Vineyard in the Yakima Valley, said he believes he will bring in 100 percent of his crops.

"It's odd how it hit us - five miles away, it was several degrees colder, and that was enough to hit crops much harder," Sauer said.

Todd Cameron, vineyard manager for Sagemoor Vineyards, which has 800 acres in production near Pasco, said the January weather was a "classic" winter freeze.

"There was no wind, so the freeze settled in the lowest spots and sat there, while other areas in our vineyards showed a heartier response to the weather," Cameron said. "Although I think it is still too early to know how we will come out, I have rows of vines where I know I will have nothing, and rows that will come back at least 80 percent."

Cameron said a winter freeze will teach winemakers and vineyard managers where not to plant less-hearty varietals that are susceptible to the cold, such as merlot, some syrah and white varietals such as semillon.

Pete Hedges, winemaker for Hedges Cellars, located on Red Mountain between Benton City and Richland, said his merlot will be down about 20 percent to 30 percent, but he still estimates the winery will be able to obtain about 80 percent of its normal crop of all varietals.

"We also buy from others, so overall, we're optimistic that this won't have much of an impact," Hedges said. "The truth is, most of us won't know the exact extent of the damage until harvest."

Jim van Loben Sels, who manages Arbor Crest in Spokane with his winemaker wife, Kristina, said he is expecting fewer grapes this year, although he buys his grapes from many different vineyards.

"It will be a hit for us, but we won't be as impacted as smaller wineries," he said. "Some of the vineyards we work with were insulated better than others, so we don't think we will see a significant impact."

Greg Lipsker, co-winemaker at Spokane's Barrister Winery, said his business plan was to increase Barrister's 1,700-case production to 2,000 cases in the coming year. With the freeze, Lipsker says the winery likely will offer just over 1,000 cases with the 2004 crop.

Boushey, who supplies grapes to such premium winemakers such as McCrea Cellars, said he hopes grape growers won't try to make up their losses by charging more for their grapes.

"The competition in the marketplace is tough," he said. "I don't think the market can bear the price increase for the loss, if we are to stay competitive."

Boushey added, "This is the perfect time to avoid raising prices. Rather, go for long-term commitments from the wineries. We will have excellent wines made from these grapes - Mother Nature reduced the crops - we just won't have as much from 2004."

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