Winter Weather
Looks like 2009 is headed for being another drought year. Yesterday was just our second significant rain event since the end of harvest, bringing us to a whopping 3.8" to date here in Sonoma. We have also recently – finally – had some cold weather, with several nights below freezing. The vines need these "chill days" to go fully dormant and to produce a decent crop next year.The lack of rain is a bigger deal. So far this season we have received 3" less than average. I'm not worried about our Estate vineyard – in fact a drought year can mean easier farming for us, with fewer inputs needed to achieve my quality goals. From my perspective the worst case would be a repeat of 2006.
My concern is for wider California. Water politics here get nastier every year. Rationing is not fun to live with in the household, but it could be disasterous for agriculture and industry when the econonmy needs a chance to recover.
posted 12/15/2008 08:11:00 PM
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