Let’s talk grapes: An update on the season as harvest nears

KEUKA PARK, N.Y. (WROC) — This year, the grape season kicked off a little bit earlier than normal because of the warmer winter.

Now, with just a few weeks left until the harvest season, Adam Folts, who is the co-owner of the Vineyard View Winery, said that the season as a whole has looked pretty good.

“So far the season looks pretty good. We just got through bloom not too long ago and all the fruit seems to have set pretty well. We have had a little bit of too much rain. We could use some dry weather, stay away from those high humid days. We really need the 80 degree, 85 degree days and sunshine,” he says.

Grape farmers need the sunshine and dry weather to dry up some of the moisture in the ground to help the grapes ripen.

“Yeah, we’re definitely looking for some dry, hot weather. There is plenty of moisture in the ground right now. The grapes are really, really thriving from that and it would be nice to focus on some heat to help ripen them at this point,” Folts says.

Excessive rain is not their only concern. Wind can also cause damage not only to the crop itself, but to the equipment that protects the crops.

“We’ve seen some damage from the wind. Not necessarily to the fruit and the canopy but you know some of our trellises have fallen down. We’ve broken some post wires,” says Folts.

“We’re doing all we can to try to get the fruit as ripe as we can,” he says. “Canopy management is a big thing for us right now, we are trying to calm them down a little bit. That’s why we need to dry up a little bit and slow down some of the growth.”

Vineyard View Winery is currently open 6 days a week from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Monday and Wednesday and form 12 p.m. 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Click here for more information about Vineyard View Winery.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to RochesterFirst.