By Bill O'Brien
bobrien@record-eagle.com
TRAVERSE CITY — Excitement is growing among northern Michigan vintners about this year's grape harvest, their spirits buoyed by a hot summer and a lighter fruit load that points to a potentially vintage year.
Michigan's total grape harvest will be down substantially this year compared to 2009, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture projections, but wine grapes were spared much of the spring frost damage and local wine makers anticipate one of their highest-quality harvests in years.
"If all goes the way it's looking so far, it could be an exceptional growing year," said Edward O'Keefe III, president of Chateau Grand Traverse on Old Mission Peninsula.
Last year was tough on northern Michigan wine makers. A cool, dreary summer stunted grape development and pushed harvest into the cold days of November. This year's growing season has been vastly different, with ample rainfall and warmth that pushed grape development about two weeks ahead of schedule.
"That gives the wine maker a lot of latitude of letting them pick the fruit when they want to pick it," said Linda Jones, program manager of the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council. "That's quite a change from last year when it was cold and late."
Red wine specialists like Coenraad Stassen at Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery on Old Mission are particularly optimistic about this year's growing season. Red wines generally need a longer growing year, and this year's growing temperatures are almost 50 percent ahead of last year.
"The longer growing season allows us to fully develop the reds," Stassen said. "I'm excited."
Statewide grape production this year is projected at 45,000 tons, down more than 50 percent from last year's harvest of 96,500. But Jones said much of that reduction is tied to grapes grown in southwest Michigan for the juice industry.
Most of the state's wine-grape crop escaped serious weather damage, she said.
Michigan produces about 100,000 tons of grapes in a typical year, Jones said. More than 90 percent of that total is for juice grapes, with the rest for the state's wine industry.
Doug Matthies, a Leelanau County wine maker and owner of Big Paw Vineyard Services, which manages about 150 acres of area vineyards, said his yields are around 10 to 20 percent below maximum. But a little less fruit on the vine helps surviving grapes more fully develop, and he anticipates "an epic year" in terms of fruit quality, as well as an early harvest.
"Right now, we're ahead of every year in recent history," Matthies said. "We won't be picking into November this year, I know that."
But there's still a long way to go before fruit comes off the vine. Producers said they'll need cool nights to ensure adequate sugar content. Too much heat and humidity also can create mildew in the vineyards, so growers will welcome next week's anticipated cooler temperatures.
"Balance is everything," Matthies said.
Nationally, the USDA projects grape production at 7.09 million tons this year, down three percent from 2009. California again will produce the bulk of the harvest, estimated at 6.35 million tons; that's also three percent less than last year.
