Veraison 2012
So far, this year's weather has been pretty much perfect. Lots of days in the 80's and low 90's, lots of nights in the 50's. Very few days where the highs were in the 70's, and only a few where
Topic
Weather & Climate
A collection of 284 issues
What a difference a week makes
I haven't been giving out blow-by-blow accounts of this summer's weather, for two reasons. First, you probably don't care much, and anyway the impacts of mid-summer weather on the quality of that year's harvest are minor. Second, it's been remarkably
Flowering 2012
Now six weeks into the growing season, it's clear that 2012 is going to follow a different path than 2010 or 2011. As opposed to being en route to a harvest roughly a month behind normal, as we were last year, we're on a normal track.
Celebrating May 15th: the unofficial end to frost season
I've been delaying writing this post so as not to jinx our progress, but I think that we're far enough into May that I can do so safely. So, here goes.
We seem to have made it through spring without any damage from frost.
This achievement
Budbreak Photos from around the Vineyard
Budbreak may be late this year, but now that it's started, it's happening in a hurry. After last week's cool, wet weather, it's turned warm and sunny, with the last two days in the 70s and even warmer temperatures forecast for later
A welcome dose of late spring rain
It has been a dry winter. After record low rainfall in December, we saw a brief break when one wet weekend in January dumped nearly 5 inches of rain on us. Then we returned to a weather pattern dominated by high pressure over the eastern Pacific, and the next two
A Closer Look at Paso Robles' Microclimates
This morning, I had the pleasure of sitting on a panel with Adelaida Cellars' Terry Culton, Eberle Winery's Ben Mayo, and Victor Hugo Winery's Vic Roberts for an audience of fifteen or so visiting Canadian journalists and members of the Wine Institute. Our topic was
Anticipating a Long-Awaited Change to Wetter Weather
After what seems like an endless stretch of cold, clear nights and sunny, mild days we're on track for something a little more wintery. Nearly two months after our last real rain, the forecast predicts a decisive change in the weather pattern later this week. Three storm systems
A Dry (but Picturesque) Beginning to the 2011-2012 Winter
In the post The unwelcome implications of another la nina winter for Paso Robles vineyards from early December, I worried that our winter would be cold and perhaps dry, neither of which are desirable for the 2012 vintage. It appears that, at least so far, it has been even drier,
The unwelcome implications of another la nina winter for Paso Robles vineyards
One of the benefits of being a member of the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance is their commissioned agricultural forecast, which we receive each day. Normally this covers the recent weather and then looks forward both short and medium-term, and it's one of the tools we use to