A SPECIAL GROWERS’ REPORT OF AG ALERT ® CALIFORNIA Trees & Vines ®
Winegrape acreage fans out in Monterey County’s Santa Lucia Highlands, including the vineyards of Mer Soleil, foreground. The region has become renowned for growing pinot noir and chardonnay.
Monterey County winds a blow to area wine tourism
By Caitlin Fillmore In marketing its wine region, including vineyards from the Pacific shores to the Santa Lucia Highlands and Salinas Valley, the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association highlights evocative phrases to depict the coastal geography and climate. One of the deepest underwater ravines on the West Coast lies off Monterey Bay. Vintners say these cool depths, called the Blue Grand Canyon, deliver a dependable, cool fog most every morning. They say strong, consistent winds push the fog through the valley’s natural funnel, gradually warming to produce the region’s “thermal rain- bow” of microclimates. The valley’s heat in turn encourages proper maturation of the fruit, and then the daily winds close the plant’s stomata, a winegrape leaf structure similar to pores on the skin. When the stomata are closed, photosynthesis stops and winegrapes can slowly develop on the vine. “Our plants get enough heat to ripen, but we have this prolonged season,” said Kim Stemler, executive director for the vintners and growers association. “That is really good for the phenolic development of the fruit and the ripening. There is such a big, diurnal shift throughout the day. The fruit we have here really likes that pattern.” Monterey County has more than 42,000 acres of planted vineyards, more than some
of its far more famous coastal wine-producing neighbors. It cultivates more than 50 different varietals, from Albariño to Zinfandel. But the county’s climate, particularly its winds, can create some challenging con- tradictions for a wine region trying to build its brand and attract more tourism. Some winegrape producers say they fear the same winds that push the fog and help cool vineyard leaves can also discourage winery construction and dissuade tourists who may not want to sip fine wine varietals in gusty settings. “It’s not a breeze, it’s 15 to 20 knots. It’s a nuisance for people who might not otherwise be used to it,” said Steve McIntyre, owner of McIntyre Vineyards and Kimberly Vineyard. He is a 40-year wine industry veteran farming 12,000 acres in several viticulture areas of Monterey County, including the Santa Lucia Highlands, Arroyo Seco, San Bernabe and Hames Valley. “It’s so windy every afternoon, it discourages developers and wineries that want to establish a hospitality element,” McIntyre said. The vintners and growers association website features a photo on its “visit” page of a laughing woman with hair visibly sweeping around her face. With winds blowing through the picturesque wine country, in “over three decades of See WINE, Page 8
May 24, 2023 Ag Alert 7
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