By: Denise Gardner
Date: September 11, 2018
Practical Action Steps for Vintage 2018
Red hybrid wine grapes from southeastern Pennsylvania following the two hurricanes in 2011. Photo by: Denise M. Gardner
1. Most whites benefit from less rain.
2. Choose a good yeast, monitor fermentation, and maintain good nutrient addition strategies.
3. Minimize extraction of compromised fruit. Get wines, produced from compromised fruit, off of their lees.
4. Develop alternative strategies for your red varieties now.
5. Plan on filtration issues.
Denise Gardner wrote an extremely helpful article about winemaking in a rainy vintage. In the article, she goes over some insightful lessons learned during vintage 2011 and how they can be applied during the 2018 season. She provides useful feedback on the points listed above and also links to supplementary articles covering Botrytis rot and sour rot. “…sanitation is clearly most important during these wetter vintages.”
See full article with detailed solutions for rainy harvests: Winemaking Strategies for Rainy Vintages: Remembering 2011 and Preparing for 2018