The torrent of rains turned to cold snows in the lower elevations of California this past week. While snow is not unusual in the Sierra foothills, the blanket of snow over the hilly vineyards in Napa, Sonoma, Santa Cruz, Livermore, and even Santa Barbara was truly rare. But just like all of the rains, even these rare snows are great for California’s grape vines.
The cold winter weather at this time of year has many benefits for the 2023 grape crop:
- the vines will remain “asleep” in a deep dormancy for a longer period of time, delaying flower formation. This is good because if vines try to flower too early in the spring frost could damage the emerging shoots of the grape vines.
- pests will be kept at a minimum
- the snow is already melting into the ground, adding to the thirsty water table.
Wine Enthusiast interviewed several affected wine growers for their take on these storms, and shared great photos of what the vineyards look like — here.
