(Another) Year in the Vineyard Wine Blog, Week 18 with Wes Hagen

Another Year in the Vineyard, Week #18 July 8-15, 2009 By Wes Hagen, VM/WM Clos Pepe Vintage:  The 2010 vintage rolls along and gets a bump of heat.  Temps warmed from the mid to high 60’s last week to the mid to high 70’s this week.  The difference is considerable for the physiology of the vine, and we are seeing a distinct change in the vines as they stop their vegetative growth and start using the sun for the production of sugar in the berries and the maturation of the seeds.  Nature never lies.  The moment that the grape seeds become viable, the berries turn color and soften.  This is much easier to see in Pinot Noir, but chardonnay goes from a hard, light lime color to a more translucent gold-green.  The color change is a marker to the birds more than a precursor for ripeness and a lovely color in red wine.  Grapevines have no interest in humans and winemaking, as we do not ingest the seeds and leave them behind in the forest after they pass through our