105 degrees in NorCal wine country ...

[Auggie]

How’s the rest of California doing?

[vanlassie]

1. 97 in Fresno- normal.

[Mr.Bill]

2. A little north of wine country 101.

Supposed to be a few degrees hotter tomorrow then high 90s for the rest of the week. Pretty typical for this time of year.

[SWBTATTReg]

3. Ouch! I wonder if this will impact their grape growing season? I grew grapes, made wine

here in MO, but never had such a period of heat (perhaps a short interval would hurt the grapes, the heat would keep the fruit smaller, concentrate the sweetness in the grapes thus (less water in the grapes), so this would lead to a sweeter tasting wine, if the recipe is followed the same from year to year, even in hotter years (vs. a normal year)).

To those in Calif, my best wishes to you all on handling this years' heat.

[Auggie]

5. One day won't make an impact ...

around 4:30 pm the the heat vacuum will draw cool air in from the Pacific Ocean and the overnight low will dip to the mid-50s. That, and the wind, cools down the grapes enough so they don't superheat.

You can just about set you watch to those daily breezes. It's why coastal Northern California is such a great place tp grow wine grapes.

[SWBTATTReg]

7. Makes sense, almost like a giant heat pump. In MO, the region is known for growing grapes,

especially in the southeastern center portion of MO/the Ozarks.

If you go west on I-44 towards Joplin from STLMO, you'll run into loads of wineries, fields of grapes, the whole works. And it doesn't get as hot as some other regions in the US, but there are times I wonder, and the heat seems to settle in, and not move like it normally does as a normal weather cycle does, comes from the west towards the east, takes 3-4 days to get here, move through, and then it's gone. Repeat...

It is a nice drive for those who may wish to travel this part of the USA. There are a few towns in that area (but not many), lots of camping etc. though. On Fridays, you can see the flood of traffic from STLMO towards Sullivan MO and other points westwards, and then on Sundays, the reverse (traffic-wise).

That's one of the things I do like about making wine along w/ raising the grapes. Conditions can vary so widely from year to year and the wines themselves can definitely taste somewhat different from year to year, e.g., some years it's real dry (not so sugary), other years it's very sweet, almost too sweet. This is where one's expertise in adjusting the process in the making of the wine comes in handy.

Thanks for the explanation, on the heat affecting grape growth, and wine production. It's always nice to learn something new every day.

Have a great week!

[orwell]

4. 99 Degrees...

...in Lake County, just north of Napa County. We grow a lot of grapes up here as well.

This is normal for this time of year.

The summer has been unusually cool so far. I love it.

Unfortunately the seasonal heat (and fire season) looks like it is finally starting...

[kimbutgar]

6. It's really hot in San Francisco now 85 degrees probably even hotter

I grew up here and usually it’s 60 degrees and foggy in June.