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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Beach bacteria thresholds may tighten ... Our View: Who politicized the UCC shootings? Not Obama ... View from 100,000 feet ... Beach bacteria thresholds may tighten ... Our View: Who politicized the UCC shootings? Not Obama ... View from 100,000 feet ... WINE INDUSTRY Hasty harvest Varietals began ripening early and haven't stopped since, vintners say Comment By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 28, 2015 at 5:20 PM By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 28, 2015 at 5:20 PM » Social News Southern Oregon's wine grape harvest might best be described as fast and furious. The region's hot, dry summer meant an early start for many vintners. Yields are up in some vineyards that were hit by the late 2013 frost and saw smaller production in 2014. For others, the yield is more typical. One thing's for certain, just about everyone will be through harvesting by the third weekend in October, a far cry from 2011, when growers were scrambling to gather in grapes before late-November frost got to them. "We've had a nonstop rapidly ripening period," said Herb Quady, winemaker for Quady North, who also manages vineyards throughout the region. "Some years we will have a break with a storm or cooling period. This year was almost constant, warm, dry weather." Southern Oregon grape varieties lend themselves to different harvest dates, usually starting about the second week of September. Quady's crews, however, started picking at the end of August. "We've worked very hard, and quickly, to get the fruit to the winery before it got too ripe," Quady said. Foris owner Ted Gerber, who first planted pinot noir vines in the Illinois Valley 41 years ago, recalls wrapping up the 1992 harvest on Oct. 1. "This year, the last grapes will come in Oct. 2," Gerber said. Of the seven varietals Gerber is harvesting on 158 acres, only gewürztraminer remains on the vine. In 1992, the harvest began Aug. 31. This year it was Sept. 11. "This has been an easy one in terms of logistics," Gerber said. "We've picked one variety right after another, after another. Sometimes we've had to wait in between, and that's real hard on the pickers." Foris brings in 20 to 25 pickers for its harvest, Gerber said. "They want to work every day, with maybe one day off a week," he said. "This year we were able to pick every day, so they can finish and be gone." At Pallet Wine Co., a custom crush operation in downtown Medford, fruit has been rolling in as fast as winemaker Linda Donovan can process it. "We're pretty close to our halfway point," said Donovan, with 240 of the nearly 500 tons due for delivery in the house. The first 150 tons is easy to process, then comes the emptying of tanks and refilling twice more. "You're not just receiving fruit at that point, you're pressing off and barreling down and monitoring fermentation," she said. "There's a lot more chemistry work to be done now." The crush commenced Sept. 4 with mourvèdre. Cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc are due in two weeks. "When the weather gets cooler, we could get more clients wanting dessert-style wine," she said. Margaret and Russ Lyon managed to sidestep smoke and irrigation issues before beginning their 17th harvest Sept. 19 at Daisy Creek Vineyard near Jacksonville. Six of seven varieties are in, with only roussanne, a white fruit, left. "It's really rare when you harvest this early," Margaret Lyon said. "To go all of October with no picking is really unusual." Although the yield was down 15 to 20 percent, greater obstacles were surmounted — including Southern Oregon's hottest summer on record and wildfires north and south that sent smoke into the Rogue Valley for most of August. "The extreme heat and smoke were worrisome," she said. "Fortunately, Medford Irrigation District has been very generous and we never went for the loss of water." Kriselle Cellars owner and winemaker Scott Steingraber said picking began at the Sams Valley estate in late August, with 40 tons picked and 30 to 35 left to go. "It was about the same as last year," Steingraber said. "But last year things slowed down midway through harvest because we got some cooler weather and a little bit of rain. This year, we haven't had rain and you can't exactly say we've had cool days, with it getting up into the 70s." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness , Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.3 , and read his blog at www.mailtribune.com/Economic Edge . By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 28, 2015 at 5:20 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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