In the last two decades, no one has done more instant adjusting to life’s meteorological vicissitudes than a California winemaker.
Erratic weather events, including climate change, have altered normal winemaking strategies and an early harvest this year compressed everything absurdly.
The 2022 Northern California wine grape harvest is roughly 80% concluded and September has just ended. To hear winemakers talk about it, it’s been a stressful and aggravating picking period.
Outsiders say it looks like chaos. Insiders say it is!
Living in wine country, I just witnessed my 38th consecutive harvest and have heard about “harvest havoc” annually since the late 1990s. This year has been as wild a ride as most winemakers have ever seen….