Grape Growers Harvest Report 2020
Participants:
Liberty Hills Estate and Winery – Jim and Marcia Compton
Melancy Hills Vineyard – Mel Heffley
Totem Pole Ranch and Winery – Don and Joan Hopler
Vin Laughery – Don Laughery
Raspberry Run – Pat and Jack Moyer
Bonnybrook Vineyard – Larry Smarr
Question 1 – How would you describe this past season’s harvest?
Compton’s – Below average.
Heffley – Great.
Hopler’s – We did not get a single grape. WE put up netting 27-29 July. It was about a week too late. Nightly we had 26 deer that cleaned us out.
Laughery – Terrible.
Moyer’s – It was better than the past two years. Yay!
Smarr – It was okay, but not great. I had a 50% yield in Cab Franc due to rot.
Question 2 – What fruit/grapes did well and what did not do well?
Compton’s – Riesling grapes did not do well. They rotted on the vine. The other varieties did well.
Heffley – Chambourcin, Chancellor and Traminette did well.
Hopler’s – N/A
Laughery – Niagara and Buffalo did well. Everything else which was some kind of hybrid was poor. Vinifera are nearly all dead due to Pierces’ disease.
Moyer’s – The peaches and apples did poorly due to the late frost. Insect damage was more than usual despite spraying. The grapes were fair to good. The Cayuga vines died.
Smarr – Traminette did well. Cab Franc did not. It was low in yield.
Question 3 – Was weather a factor this season?
Compton’s – Not really.
Heffley – None.
Hopler’s – No, it was the deer.
Laughery – No.
Moyer’s – Yes.
Smarr – No, actually it was much better than the last two years.
Question 4 – What problems did you encounter or struggle with this season?
Compton’s – I had no Baco Noir or Catawba. The birds and deer had a field day with them.
Heffley – None.
Hopler’s – N/A
Laughery – Hybrids that have Vinifera in their parentage were weaken by Pieces’ disease last year. Also, I did not spray for powdery mildew and I paid the price.
Moyer’s – Drought and bugs.
Smarr – Late season botrytis in Cab Franc. (Editor’s note Botrytis blight, also is known as gray mold, is a fungal disease. Botrytis blight causes buds and flowers to develop abnormally and turn brown. I had to look it up.)
Question 5 – What was your harvest yield for 2019?
Compton’s – I had no Baco Noir or Catawba. The birds and deer had a field day with them.
Heffley – 2 ton.
Hopler’s – I purchased 4 tons of grapes from Halbrandt winery.
Laughery – 300 pounds.
Moyer’s – 56 gallons.
Smarr – 2.1 tons from 2 acres.
Question 6 – What is your normal harvest for a season?
Compton’s – Baco Noir and Catawba each normally 20+ gallons.
Heffley – 4-5 ton.
Hopler’s – N/A
Laughery – 1000 to 1300 pounds.
Moyer’s – Three years ago I had 68 gallons.
Smarr – 4-5 tons.
Question 7 – What do you plan to do differently this season to improve/help your harvest?
Compton’s – Nothing really. Maybe not prune as much.
Heffley – Nothing.
Hopler’s – N/A
Laughery – Planted hybrids in place of dead Vinifera. I will spray the entire vineyard for powdery mildew.
Moyer’s – Pray! Also I will weed more.
Smarr – I will consider fertilization.
Question 8 – Do you have any unique stories you would like to share about this harvest or others?
Compton’s – Tis the season to thin out the deer population.
Heffley – I didn’t sell as many grapes. I mostly used them for myself. The past three years were disasters.
Hopler’s – N/A
Laughery – Frustration! I am questioning why I do it when I can take a ride down to Philadelphia and return with 6 gallon buckets from California for a few hundred bucks. And it makes excellent wine.
Moyer’s – Growing grapes is way too much work and expense, especially when conditions are crazy from year to year.
Smarr – I let the Cab Franc hang too long, in order to get the brix up. I should have started picking a week earlier.