PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A cool spring followed by a summer with only a scattering of hot days has delayed the Oregon wine grape harvest by up to a month.
Growers are trying different ways to speed things up before fall rains arrive, including pulling leaves to expose grapes to the sun.
If the weather doesn’t get warm and sunny enough until then, the harvest could fall victim to drowning rains and botrytis (boh-TRY-tiss), a moldy fungus that thrives in damp, humid conditions.
Late harvests are always a risk in the $1 billion Oregon wine industry.
But growers say this year will be a real nail-biter.
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Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com
