State grape harvest shows big increases

YATES COUNTY—The 2013 grape harvest in the Finger Lakes region shows it to be one of the largest harvests in recent memory. With harvest season beginning in early September and ending in late October, many area vineyards have reported larger quantity harvests than in previous years. The same trend is being seen all across New York State, as Wine and Grape Foundation President Jim Trezise has released preliminary information estimating the statewide harvest to be 20 to 25 percent more than last year.
“Not everything was up, but most things were up quite a bit,” Glenora Winemaker Steven DiFrancesco said. He said some grape varieties were up 50, 60 and even 80 percent more than last year’s harvest. He said while some grape types flourished, a few others were actually down from last year.
“Last year, 2012 was a smaller crop than normal,” DiFrancesco said. “Sometimes when there is a smaller crop, the following year will be a big crop. And then sometimes when there is a big crop, the following year is a small one. If anything it is better to have even crops because you don’t have the big fluctuations in where you are going to put everything and if you’re going to come up short.”
President of Fox Run Vineyards Scott Osborn said the harvest at Fox Run this year was up 5 percent more than in 2012.
“Last year for some reason we had the largest harvest ever,” Osborn said. “This year’s harvest exceeded that.”
Osborn said as far as tonnage goes, this is one of the best harvests ever for Fox Run. He said rain during the summer and rain at the right times during harvest helped contribute to the increase in quantity since last year. DiFrancesco attributed similar measures to Glenora’s success.
“I would say quantity and quality are not necessarily related,” DiFrancesco said. “This for many people was the biggest harvest they’ve had on some varieties [...] although probably a couple of these were the biggest ever. The quality was good, it wasn’t bad like some years that are real wet. [...] It was rainy early but not too bad during harvest. It was generally a good harvest.”
Anthony Road Wine Company Owner John Martini said they had 40 percent more tons of grapes this year than in 2012, with a total of 443 tons. He said it was one of the largest crops ever for Anthony Road and attributed it to a “light crop in 2012, good growing conditions throughout the season and a relatively sunny and dry harvest period.”
“The crop was large, but it was also of very good quality,” Martini said. “We are quite happy and hope that next year brings something similar—though it is unlikely.”
The large harvest is not without its issues, however, as it leaves some vineyards like Glenora scrambling to find storage space for the additional grapes.
“When we do have a lot more grapes than we expected, then we have to scramble to find a place to put it,” DiFrancesco said. “We sometimes have to outsource to another winery that has some space. With everybody it’s been an issue with a lot of people.”