Wet weather worries wineries

Excessive rainfall in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois this spring could have an adverse effect on the region's wine production this fall, according to area vineyard owners and winemakers.

And if the region receives too much rainfall during the rest of the growing season leading up to this year's harvest, growers say their wine output will be reduced.

Linda Hand, winemaker at Big Sky Winery in Makanda, Illinois, said there has been little or no need for irrigation on Big Sky's 13 acres.

"Grapevines need about one inch of water per week to maintain their health," she said, "but we're definitely getting more rain than what we need. I'd say two to three times more."

The problem with getting too much rainfall this time of year is that vineyard operators are forced to spray more fungicide on their grapes to prevent moisture-related problems.

KASSI JACKSON ~ kjackson@semissourian.com Rob Bullock checks on his vineyard rows at River Ridge Winery Thursday, June 6, 2019, in Commerce.

"Wet weather means we've got to spray much more often because the vines are so much more susceptible to diseases that result from the rain and humidity," Hand said. "And the unpredictability of the weather makes it difficult for us to get out in the vineyard to spray."

Blue Sky Winery typically produces about 15,000 gallons of wine annually from grapes grown in the Blue Sky vineyard and purchased from other growers in the area. However, she and other winemakers in the area said ill-timed and excessive rainfall could reduce the winery's production level.

"This is one of the wettest seasons growers here have seen in a long time," said Dr. Randy Feather, owner of Feather Hills Vineyard about a mile south of Blue Sky Winery.

"Too much rain can lead to mold and diseases that can affect grapes and, in turn, there would be a threat of a smaller crop at harvest," he said.

At Apple Creek Vineyard & Winery near Friedheim, Missouri, owner Shellie Gamel said different grape varieties fare better in wet conditions than others. For instance, Gamel explained that Vignoles grape clusters are very tight and don't allow air flow to move around the grapes to dry them out. "On the other hand, Norton grapes are very climatized, almost made for our climate," she said.

Rob Bullock holds young grapes in his hand as he looks at them in the vineyard at River Ridge Winery on Thursday in Commerce, Missouri.KASSI JACKSON

Although continued rainfall will be a challenge for grape growing, Gamel said "as long as there are windows of opportunity that allow us to get in and spray the grapes with a fine mist fungicide, then we should be alright."

Rob Bullock who owns River Ridge Winery near Commerce, Missouri, said the "timing" of heavy rains can also reduce a vineyard's yield. "When I say timing, I mean the grapes need to get past their bloom before a heavy rain sets in," he said. "Heavy rain has a tendency to knock blooms off, which cuts your crop."

Excessive moisture also leads to an abundance of weeds in the vineyard which can steel nutrients at the root level from the soil, robbing them from the grapevines, he said, adding that rain-soaked ground is difficult or impossible to mow and clear out the weeds.

Bullock and other vineyard owners agree that while the excessive rain this spring has been problematic, too much rain in the weeks before the grape harvest could be a significant problem. Depending on the grape variety, harvesting will begin in mid-August and will extend into October. "Last year that was a big culprit for me," Bullock said. "We got hit with the finger of a tropical storm on September 8 that dropped 5 1/2 inches of rain on us in a day."

As a result, River Ridge's wine output in 2018 was curtailed significantly. "We normally produce between 2,500 and 3,000 gallons of wine, but last year I think we only ended up with 1,500 all because of the rain in the fall."

Dr. Dean Volenberg, viticulture and winery operations extension specialist with the University of Missouri-Columbia, explained that when grapes are mature and are "berry-to-berry" on the vines, "then there's a bigger issue of fruit rot from too much moisture," he said. "As we get later and later into August, we would like to see very little to no rain. Like row crop farmers, vineyard operators harvest around the weather, too."

Volenberg said the average rainfall last month throughout Missouri was 11 inches, with some regions of the state receiving less while others experienced much more.

"That's more than double the normal amount of rain we'd usually get in May, making it the wettest May in Missouri on record since records have been kept and that's been over the past 130 years," he said. "It's been quite impressive actually."

As bad as the spring rains have been, Volenberg said overall "the grape crop is looking quite well right now. Like everyone else, we would like the rain to shut off, but we're not currently in a serious situation. It will just take more work (to cultivate the crop)."

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