What goes into our wine? Our grapes!

Long warm days, cool nights, and cloudless blue skies - sounds like everything the grapes need! If only it were that simple!

Even with great weather, there is variation and variability in any vineyard. One of the big sources of variability we see in the Yakima Valley is due to our large difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures. These dramatic temperature swings are so important for grape quality, but they do mean that we have to manage the microclimates within the different parts of the vine. 

Think about going outside first thing in the morning - the sun is shining, but it's still a little chilly and you may want a light jacket with your sunglasses and morning coffee. But by midafternoon, the jacket is off, your sleeves are rolled up, and there are ice cubes in your water glass as you look for the shade. Then, when the sun goes down, it's time to bundle up again as the cool breeze blows night air against your skin.

The grapes experience the same thing, but they can't change their outfits. This is where canopy management comes in. On the morning side of the vines, we remove leaves for more light exposure, which gives great flavor development for the resulting wines. On the afternoon side, we encourage more leaf growth to protect the grapes from sunburn and overheating. At night, the vines will rest and get ready for another day of growing distinctive fruit.

We spend our summer obsessing over water, nutrients, sun, and shade, so you can spend your summer enjoying the wines!