Finger Lakes Wines and Grapes: Season on track despite temperature swings

Early growth at CJS Vineyards & Aurelius Winery.

We are starting to see some action in the vineyards now, as leaves are unfurling and starting their growth. It has been a wild spring: Early April brought temperatures in the upper 80s and then cold, wet weather at the month's end. We ended up with about 7 inches of rain at our Fosterville vineyard — about 3 inches more than a typical year!

Thankfully, here in mid-May, it is looking a little warmer and drier. I have often talked about growing degree days for grapes. This measurement is used to understand the average heat accumulation during the growing season. GDD are calculated by subtracting 50 from the average daily temperature (in degrees Fahrenheit). For example: The high temperature today is 68, so we subtract 50 from 68 and get a GDD of 18 value for today. Adding these daily values over the season gives us a promising idea of grapevine development and compares it to other years.

GDD provides growers with information that allows them to plan what vineyard practices need to be done at what time. The Cornell Cooperative Extension Finger Lakes Grape Program calculates and distributes this information twice a month in its vineyard update email. Back on April 18 we were about 22 days ahead of our long-term average due to the really warm weather we experienced. Then Mother Nature gave us a cool, wet period that brought the measurement down on May 10 to only seven days ahead of the long-term average! This is not a bad thing: Getting very warm too early can push vine growth that can lead to trouble if we get a heavy frost, which is not unheard of in mid-May in the Finger Lakes. Overall, we seem to be on a "normal" track right now. Let's hope it continues.

If you would like to learn more about the New York vineyards and wines, the New York Wine and Grape Foundation has come out with a video series on YouTube called the "New York Wine Reference Guide" seminar series. The first three videos are an introduction to New York wines, New York riesling and then New York cabernet franc. These are about an hour long each and provide much information about grape growing and winemaking here in our state. Riesling and cab franc are two of the most well-known vinifera (common European grapes) grapes grown here in the Finger Lakes. At CJS Vineyards we grow both varieties along with other interspecific (hybrid) grapes, producing estate wines from all of them. I hope they will dedicate a future seminar to the French-American hybrid grapes (Cayuga white, chambourcin, Marquette, traminette, etc.) that are very sustainable, have a long history here in the Finger Lakes and make great wines, too!

Chris Scholomiti

In the winery, we continue to bottle new wines and check on aging vintages. Our red wines aging in oak barrels lose a small amount of wine over time due to evaporation. The wine is absorbed inside the barrel, swelling the wood, and on the outside of the barrel the wood dries out from contact with the air, causing the wine loss. We keep the humidity high in the winery to minimize the loss. Air in the barrel can cause spoilage in the wine. Therefore, we must top them off (fill them to the very top) several times a year to eliminate any air space in the barrel. We always keep some red wine in stainless steel tanks (there is no evaporation from a stainless steel tank) and use it to top off the barrels.

Spring is a beautiful time of the year, watching trees, flowers, vineyards and orchards come back to life after a long winter period. We are starting to see more people in our tasting room as we approach the summer season. Visitors include regular local customers and lots of out-of-town guests who are looking to get away from home and spend some time enjoying the Finger Lakes vineyards and cool-climate wines. Many wineries have scheduled events throughout the upcoming season; you can view their websites for event dates and times. Enjoy the spring weather and check out the vineyards and wineries here in your backyard!

Chris Scholomiti is co-owner and winemaker at CJS Vineyards & Aurelius Winery, 6900 Fosterville Road, Aurelius, which is now in its 22nd year as a New York farm winery. The winery's tasting room is open by appointment, and shipping and curbside pickup are available. For more information, call or text (315) 730-4619 or email [email protected].

Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Unity House of Cayuga County has announced an addition to its board of directors.

Christine (Ellis) Kapakos

Carole Ann Reeves

East Hill Medical Center has added physician assistant Christina Catalfano to its clinical team. She is now accepting new patients at the Adul…

The latest scholastic honors from the Cayuga County area.