Wrapping up 2023 – Reflections on Harvest
2023 Harvest Report
by Erin Scherer
Once in a while, you get a season in the Finger Lakes like 2012 or 2020, where it seems like the stars align and growing conditions are nearly perfect. More often, however, there’s a weather event that throws a wrench in everything and makes farming a challenge. For example, in 2018, the season was shaping up to be great, but heavy rains and high humidity in late summer resulted in increased disease pressure which in turn stalled sugar accumulation at harvest. Following the 2021 harvest, daytime temperatures in the Finger Lakes region hovered around 40 or 50 degrees well into December. Consequently, vines did not go into full dormancy before a few nights of extreme cold in January of 2022. That extreme cold air settling around active vines resulted in high bud mortality throughout the region.
At the start of 2023 the Finger Lakes grape growers had the beginnings of what looked to be high yields with early bud break and shoot growth in response to unseasonably warm temperatures during April. Sadly, on May 18th that all changed overnight with the late frost event that caused significant fruit loss throughout the region. Many farmers were out in the middle of the night doing what they could to stave off the damage. While this freeze may have only lasted for a few hours, it lasted long enough to do serious damage to shoots in many parts of the Finger Lakes. As if the freeze event were not enough, the early growing season was plagued by intense smoke cover from the Canadian wildfires, only to be followed by overcast and rainy days throughout the summer months. By September, conditions improved with long stretches of dry, sunny weather.
For Tina Hazlitt of Sawmill Creek Vineyards, recent vintages reflect an ongoing trend influenced by climate change: “The 2023 frost was no different than the deep winter freeze of 2022 followed by a summer drought, or the devastating flash floods of 2018. Climate change overall has made what we do for a living very precarious to keep our heads above water financially.”
The spring freeze damage at Sawmill Creek varied between hybrid and vinifera grapes: hybrids appeared to suffer less than their vinifera counterparts. At Sawmill Creek’s Tichenor Road vineyard, hybrids suffered a 50% loss while the vinifera had nearly an 80% loss. In addition to the freeze damage, Sawmill Creek found the 2023 summer challenging for other reasons. Says Tina Hazlitt: “Grapevines don’t like ‘wet feet’. So, where we had clogged, failed tile lines, excess water sat for extended periods and reduced the vigor, resulting in weaker and less productive vines in those areas.” For Hazlitt’s Sawmill Creek Vineyard, the fruit loss associated with the freeze combined with the challenges of the wet growing season led to decreased sales overall.
For Lahoma Vineyards, on Seneca Lake’s southwest shore and purchased by winemaker Kelby Russell earlier this year, the combination of early emergence and a late frost also resulted in decreased sales. “We cut down significantly on what we were able to supply to wineries who have been buying fruit from Lahoma for 10-plus years,” says Russell, “And for several new, small wineries that we were hoping to get fruit to as they start up, we were unable to help.” During the rainy and overcast growing season, Lahoma Vineyards fared better than some, but Russell also realizes he’s one of the lucky ones. “What we would normally think of as a recipe for higher disease pressure was largely kept in check by attentive work and spray schedules in the vineyard, and I think the fact that there were enough stretches of dry days for things to correct amidst all the rain.”
At Shale Creek Vineyard on Keuka Lake, Colleen Hardy, co-owner of Living Roots Winery (and daughter of the vineyard’s owners) shared initial estimates of fruit loss were around 30%. At this site the hybrids also survived the freeze better than the vinifera: the hybrid grape Elvira was the most unscathed, while Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier fared much, much worse. One potential byproduct of the subsequent heavy rainfalls was larger berries. However, Hardy didn’t see any significant changes, “With the reduced yields and good slopes for tiling and drainage, we had a fairly average berry size at Shale Creek.”
Following the spring freeze, some vineyards had only minimal fruit losses. For example, Tom Higgins of Heart and Hands Winery estimated only a 2-5% loss in fruit. Their location, further north on the east shore of Cayuga Lake fits with the overall geographic pattern of freeze damage. Vineyards to the north were spared in comparison to those further south in the Finger Lakes. For Heart and Hands, the damp summer was a bigger hassle: “The moisture and humidity during the growing season posed some challenges,” recalls Higgins. “We had to adjust the fungicide levels windows. While botrytis wasn’t a concern, downy mildew pressure kept our sprayer busy.” Reports from other vineyards at the northern end of the lakes (e.g., Three Brothers Winery and Zugibe Vineyards) were similar – the freeze was not a significant event for them, but the rainy growing season kept them busy.
When thinking about the comparison between vinifera and hybrid varieties for the big freeze event, Traminette and its parent grape Gewurztraminer come to mind. Interestingly, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets declared Gewurztraminer yields to be so reduced that wineries were allowed to purchase this grape from out of state. Traminette harvests were also reduced but not to the same extent. From Adam Folts managing 180 acres of vineyards on Keuka Lake, “Crop estimates were challenging. You could look at the row on one side of the tractor and see typical fruit abundance while the other side had no fruit at all.” Nancy Tisch, winemaker at Bet the Farm Winery, ordered extra Traminette in 2023 because they did not get any in 2022. “With 3 tons coming from Folts and another 400 gallons of settled juice from Fulkerson, we were worried about tank space. In the end, however, we only received about 300 gallons in total.”
Although the Cornell publication From Version to Harvest reported low sugar levels, that wasn’t necessarily the case with those interviewed. “We were seeing reduced sugars and higher acids early on during the beginning of harvest season, but mostly everything caught up, and we were seeing excellent sugars, especially with our vinifera reds,” says Hazlitt. Higgins and Hardy reported no significant changes in sugar levels, and that was largely true for Russell at Lahoma as well, with one notable exception: “Sugar levels were low in some varieties—I’m looking at you, Riesling—but fantastic in others, such as Cabernet Franc. And in the instance of Rieslings, the sugars are still more than acceptable, and that is before we discuss the great flavors of old school—dare I say classic? —Finger Lakes acidity.”
August had a streak of very hot days, but by September, things had evened out in time for harvest. Russell reports some grape sunburn at Lahoma, but otherwise, “it was a spectacular month”; Hazlitt describes September as a “big help” and the varieties that had been lagging caught up to where they should be. For Hardy, September provided her vines “with some nice windows of weather for sugars and flavors to progress, and to keep the fruit relatively clean. Adds Higgins: “The warm, dry September and October was a welcome gift. It provided the perfect conditions for a smooth harvest and winegrowers in the region toasted to Mother Nature’s cooperation.”
Overall, 2023 may have been a daunting vintage, but many winegrowers remain optimistic. Says Russell: “The general feeling in the region from vineyard managers and winemakers I have spoken with is incredible optimism regarding the quality of 2023. The remarkably cool and dry October really brought this vintage from good to potentially great.”
Release dates for 2023 wines could start in early 2024 for roses and whites and much later in the year and even into 2025 for reds. Time will tell how the vintage will be remembered.
A Quirky Tradition continues in the Finger Lakes
by Nancy Tisch
In the Finger Lakes AVA, there is a lovely tradition of Secret Cellar that began as the brainchild of Kelby Russell back in 2013. It was developed as a way for winemakers and their teams to secretly support one another during the long, arduous days of harvest. As those in the industry know, the days are numerous – often with no time off for 30 or 40 day stretches. And some of those days can be long - starting with hauling fruit from the vineyard early in the morning, crushing, pressing, pitching yeasts, monitoring fermentations, and then cleaning up the crush pad late in the evening – only to start all over on the next day.
When asked about the origins of the tradition, Kelby had this to say: “It came from my first vintage of making the KJR label wines and shooting up to Nutt Road one late evening after work at Red Newt. I sampled the Cab Franc that would eventually become my 2013 rosé via the headlights of my car, then headed north to Geneva, only to see that the production facility at Anthony Road was still brightly lit up as they worked late. I swung by and said hello and brought some beer and was treated to a lovely quick tasting by Johannes Rheinhart and Peter Becraft.
As I drove home 30 minutes later, I kept thinking about how all of us in our cellars are little bastions of light late into harvest nights, islands unto ourselves, but connected by our common work and purpose. And from there I thought it would be fun to try and have cellars give gifts to one another in recognition of that connection.”
The guidelines for participants in Secret Cellar are straightforward: agree to participate and share some love and support for another winemaking team by anonymously sending them a couple of “care packages” during the harvest season. Only on the final package (typically 3, but there are no hard and fast requirements) do you reveal your identity – often by sending some wines from your own cellar. Or in some cases, the winemakers make a personal delivery to reveal their identity at the end of harvest.
The 2023 harvest was Bet the Farm Winery’s first time as a Secret Cellar participant. Shopping for the secret gift packages was so much fun! Some common themes – both on the giving and receiving end, were Instant IV for keeping up with hydration, snacks galore including cookies, nuts, pretzels, candy, mac and cheese, tea, coffee – all the things the crews need to feel taken care of during those long workdays. And of course, there was beer – typically craft beers from one of the local breweries. As the saying goes, “It takes a lot of beer to make good wine!”
Some of the Secret Cellars get super creative – making the gift carry a theme. For example, Dave Breeden of Sheldrake Point Winery shared a photo of their dinosaur themed package (see photo) that included Dinosaur BBQ sauce, dino toys, straws and a note that read, “Some may see us as professional winos, but we’re really kids at heart who want to play with dinos. We hope you make time for fun and a warm lunch, something well-deserved for such a hard-working bunch. We’re nearly there on harvest 2023, so raise a glass, a White Claw, or even some tea!” Such imagination and creativity!
And then there’s the issue of maintaining a secret identity until the end. Have you ever tried to mail a package without a return address? They don’t really like that at the post office. And of course, it’s not a great idea to use your own UPS or FedEx account – until the great reveal at the end, of course. August Demiel posted this in 2020, “Recently got a great package from our Secret Cellar. It came in a repurposed toilet paper box with an interesting note on the side. (see photo below) Accidental identity giveaway? Or brilliant red herring? We’re dying to know. What do you think, Meagz Goodwin???” (see photo)
Facebook is a treasure trove of Secret Cellar photos. Simply write “Secret Cellar” in the search bar and see what pops up. All the participants are clearly caring – sending their recipients bountiful goodness in the form of snacks, meals, beverages, and humor. And some are incredibly creative and talented - not entirely surprising for winemakers and their lot. In 2019, Red Newt received a gift that included Finger Lakes harvest lyrics to a rap song (see photo).
Most importantly, though, there is a common theme of comradery and gratitude in the Facebook posts:
“It lends an atmosphere of good cheer to what can be a stressful time of year.”
“Thank you so much! You’re a savior and this is easily the best tradition I’ve been part of in my 20 years making wine.”
“Personal delivery by our Secret Cellar friends, Sam and Aaron of Three Brothers! Nice to be part of this great Finger Lakes Wine Community !!”
“We have no idea who has sent us this lovely gift, but we are oh so happy they did! We are happy to be part of such an awesome Finger Lakes winery tradition!”
Conceived in 2013 and born during the 2014 harvest with only ten or twelve wineries participating, the tradition has continued to grow. Now in its tenth year, thirty-three wineries participated! From Kelby, “So far as I know it isn't practiced in any other wine regions, although I would love to hear some day that someone has heard of it from us and has exported it!” Clearly, those other regions don’t know what they are missing!
A Tuscan Winemaker Advocates for Women and Sustainability
by Denice Karamardian
Stepping Away from the Finger Lakes
Tuscany. I’d been there before. But this was my first time staying at a vineyard in the rural center of the region, far from the city architecture and art of Florence, or even Siena. A week’s worth of walking amid olive groves and vineyards and enjoying meals with pairings at the winery’s world class restaurant, Osteria di Donatella, was far more satisfying for me than all my European city visits. Near the village of Trequanda, Fattoria del Colle reminds me of the Finger Lakes (without the lakes) in the way the hills slope and undulate, etched with rows of grapevines. Add in the Cyprus trees lining the narrow roads. Any photograph or painting of Tuscany I’ve seen to date is exactly the way it looks and feels in person, even from my bedroom window. Breathtaking. But there is more than bathes the eye here. What stands out at Fattoria del Colle Trequanda is the tiny woman who runs it.
Women in Wine
It was mid-April. I sat down with Donatella Cinelli Colombini in her historic office, nestled in the farm’s Tuscan villa that was built in 1592. One of her devoted staff interpreted and translated her comments for me although Donatella seemed to understand my questions and occasionally broke in with her own responses in English. By now I had gathered historical information about the farm and grape varieties from staff who shared their respect for the operation through tours and tastings (and share this further in the article). All of the staff vintners are women, as is the winemaker (Donatella). She was born into an established family of Brunello di Montalcino winemakers and has impacted the industry in her own right. With the opportunity to interview Donatella herself, I chose not to waste her time on details I could obtain from staff. I was keen to tap into whatever she was most passionate about. It took about 30 seconds. This leader in agro-tourism, organic farming, and winemaking immediately lit up and plunged into her favorite endeavor: Donne Del Vino.
Donne Del Vino, Women in Wine, is an international organization of 1,020 women worldwide. It is made up of regional organizations –– of winemakers, winery owners, wine shops and restaurant owners, sommeliers, wine writers and experts. There are 88 such organizations in Tuscany. As Donatella continued, I grew intrigued at how much women were embedded in the wine industry there.
“Four years ago we tried to meet with all the countries.” Eleven national organizations in the group include Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile, Peru, France, Germany, Switzerland, Croatia, etc. Italy and Germany have the best and oldest organizations. (In the U.S., a similar organization called Women for WineSense was founded in 1990, with 13 chapters).
Their second international meeting, in November 2022, was motivating. Members signed a goal agreement to share activities together and to help members visit fellow wineries in other countries. For example, said Donatella,
“In Tuscany, we are looking to invite wine producer of other country to present wine presentation by sommelier association. Hope to receive invitation from another country.”
On March 8th, the group annually celebrates International Women’s Day. Each year they chose a symbol and every member posts pictures with the symbol and hashtags to promote worldwide connection. The theme chosen for 2023 was Un Mundo Unito. Far from being an inconsequential pet project, the group has made, and continues to make, an impact on the global wine industry. Donatella has certain credentials that accompany her leadership, from birth into a female winemaking family to her advocacy for women and for organic practices. Tuscany happens to be a leader in both.
“Historically wine was made by men producers, with women only 14% involved in winemaking. Women are stronger in the commercial department - more than 50%. In general, more than 80% women dominate in marketing, more than 70% in tourism. The wine world is an exception, which may explain why the gender pay gap is less in the wine industry than in other industries. Studies show that in the US, for example, for every dollar made by a man, a woman will earn just 90 cents. But in the wine industry, a woman earns 96 cents,” says Donatella. I was unable to verify these numbers, and my own search came up with an 87 cent number for women in the winemaker profession, so I am unclear if I understood correctly. The reason I include the info here, although vague, is to encourage further dialogue on the subject.
“In the beginning was not so amusing. I am very happy and proud for the work we made and increase in change to the industry.” Donatella has had her hand in this locally, as well.
In 1993, Donatella founded the “Movimento del Turismo del Vino.” She has advocated for tourism efforts ever since. The Tuscany Association of Women in Wine is currently pushing to introduce wine tourism into school curriculum. “Students that study in tourism institutes don’t get wine and food. They need history, fine art, history of geography, etc.….all this is true, but also the wine!”
The next activity they (the Tuscan Women in Wine group) are focused on is to push the use of light glass bottles for expensive premium wines. CO2 emissions are too high during the production of glass.
“The heavy bottle, and dimension of the bottle has a connection to the quality of wine. But we have to push for light glass because organic production is not enough,” says Donatella.
A third project they are working on they call Etico (ethic).
“We keep used cork inside and collect them – the amorin cork (world leader of cork production) pays for the collected used corks to wineries, restaurants, wine shops, recycles them to make furniture. Donne del Vino Toscana (the Association) diverts the profit to Centre Anti Violenza, to benefit abused women. I took note of an oversized jar full of corks situated by the front door of the restaurant, identical to one in Donatella’s office.
“We are a big association and can do big things. Like this amorin cork. Alone is impossible.” Says Donatella Cinelli Colombini, literally beaming with purpose and mission as she gestured to the giant jar of corks.
Fattoria del Colle and Montalcino
Fattoria del Colle spreads across rolling hills at Trequanda in central Tuscany. The farm was begun in 1500 and the owner’s villa built in 1592 for the Socini family who operated the farm for the entire century. It was a productive farm of mixed grapes, olives, and grains. At one point, mid-century, there were lots of brothers in the family. A division among them changed the course of the farm’s history.
Tuscany was a Catholic stronghold. But a small Protestant movement developed and, in approximately 1560, two members of the family, brothers Lelio and Fausto, joined the Protestant movement when it gained in popularity. Because the rest of the family was loyally Catholic and Protestantism was illegal in Tuscan kingdom, the brothers needed to escape. They went to Switzerland and Poland, where they founded their own church in each of those countries. The Socinian Church in those countries still follow that branch of Protestant, a very small community that is still alive in Europe. (A few years ago, some members of that church visited the Fattoria del Colle, seeking to learn where the founders were born.)
Meanwhile, at the Fattoria, the family remaining at home needed desperately to demonstrate their fealty to the Catholic Church. They built a chapel on the farm to prove their devotion and dedicated it to San Clemente, the current pope of the time. A local painter even painted the pope into his depiction of the Crucifixion that still is still hanging behind the chapel altar. (Sadly, my photo of this was deleted in the recent Google blitz). Though inaccurate, this was not uncommon in those times. For example, the painter Uffizi tended to insert living people with painting subjects Jesus and Mary as an honor or gift to the benefactor.
In spite of these efforts, the family was too tainted from the brothers’ defection to overcome the stain. Religion ruled everything. Other farmers burned the farm and the populace was no longer willing to work for the family. They were not trusted. The family held on for as long as possible, but in time, the Socini family, unable to operate the property for production, lost everything and sold the land that no longer provided a living. Historic chronology enters a 150 year gap here, until around 1700 when a new farmhouse was built to host the Tuscan King, the Grand Duke of Tuscany. The 16th century brothers disappeared from the record. But coincidences sometimes rule the day.
In 1918, Livio Socini, came across an incredible land deal that was too good to pass up. Completely unaware of its history, he purchased the land from previous owners who had not produced profit and sold it cheap. Only after he bought it, did he discover the farm to be that of his ancestors, when he opened up the chapel to discover his family’s symbol – a lion holding a ball in the family shield. Livio Socini was Donatella’s great grandfather.
Her mother, Francesca Colombini, was the owner of the Montalcino winery of Fattoria del Barbi and a renowned winemaker in her own right. When Francesca Colombini retired, she gave the main family winery in Montalcino to Donatella’s brother. Donatella Cinelli Colombini inherited the new property, or rather the old (Socini) Fattoria. She founded the estate in 1998.
The 700 total acres include 40 hectares of vineyards, 12 acres of olive trees, and also forest land growing rare white truffles. Olives are crushed in the little village there. Grapes grown include Sangiovese, Merlot, and Sagrantino. They are also one of the few Italian wineries growing Traminer (their only white). Lastly, Donatella stands out as an advocate for the risky historic grape variety called Foglia Tonda.
The Foglia Tonda grape had been completely abandoned in the country. It was deemed too difficult to cultivate and work and produced too many leaves. Donatella discovered it through a university project working on abandoned grape varieties. She found it to be historically elegant and balanced and decided to try to bring it back. She had no tradition to work from and no guidance. She tested and varied the aging period, kinds of wood and size of barrels. The only constant was the blend, which remained 65% Sangiovese and 35% Foglia Tonda. This she believed in. The blend is called Cenerentola. I found it truly elegant. (I brought home a 2018 Cenerentola Orcia to break open at Christmas dinner).
The family’s most known product is the well distributed Brunello wine that must be bottled in Montalcino, I was told. The Montalcino property, Casato Prime Donne, has 40 hectares of vineyards, of which 17 are Sangiovese plus a winery for production and aging of Rosso and Brunello di Montalcino wines. A system of wine regulation in Italy was explained. Three levels are: IGT (free territory of wine), DOC (more regulated) and DOCG (most restrictive). I asked Donatella for clarification about the production of Brunello. The winemaking may interchange between the family wineries, but Brunello is required by law to be bottled physically in Montalcino. It’s an Italian thing, wines associated with specific territory.
“It’s the region where it is required to be produced,” she shrugged, then chuckled “too many laws” in her deep accent, pronouncing the word as “lows.”
Organic Practices in Tuscany
Donatella’s decision to go organic is to protect the environment. She feels other growers in Italy should also, and tirelessly promotes the organic practices that she uses:
- A product she most employs is seaweed product. Harvested and imported, it is very expensive. This, sadly, is a deterrent for other vineyards to get into organic growing.
- She uses propolis (produced by bees) for natural resistance against parasites, postharvest preservation and plant growth.
- She also uses predatory insects that will eat other insects like spider mites, and plants those into the vineyards. Rather than spraying chemical products into the vineyard, insects are living there.
- Fertility process: Uses pole beans growing between vines and clovers. This fixes nitrogen into the soil. Plow that under once a year and reseed it.
Commercial growers tend to decline such practices. The amount of organic growing in Tuscany is currently is 40%. (In Italy as a whole it is 25%). The cost of establishing a vineyard in Tuscany is 50,000 euros for a hectare (or 2.47 acres) of vines. This tiny winemaker, Donatella Cinelli Colombini, encourages and shares more of her practices and recommendations to anyone wishing to begin or transition to organic grape growing: establish the right site and soil balance; choose right slope, facing in the right direction, with well-balanced soil mixture of clay and sand with stones mixed in; need to trench out low areas so you can drain them out; make channels for water to drain away from wet areas.
Donatella believes in using agronomists who specialize in soil nutrition of agriculture for soil work and site preparations. They dig up to one meter with a special plow to break up soil, then either dig holes by hand and plant by hand (preferred because each plant has better chance of survival) or use a machine. Plus they add wet sand around each vine hole to increase survival and establish young roots. Trellising posts and wiring is done in the second or third year and, of course, proper fencing around vineyard to keep out wild boar and deer. (Wild boar can destroy 50% of a vineyard In Tuscany.)
As for products, one material used at the Fattoria is Zeolite, a coating spread on young leaves for frost protection. And they use sulfur for disease control. This is limited to a certain amount over a 3 year period by government. Sulfur is a natural mineral, but hard on the environment so caution is best.
My biggest takeaway from the dynamo president of Donne Del Vino is to make use of organizations and groups in the industry, learn from others, and support your colleagues. (She constantly travels in service to the industry and fellow winemakers). Speaking with her, witnessing her passionate desire to talk about her goals for collaboration within the industry, reminded me of home. This is something that, like Tuscany, is already embedded in Finger Lakes industry practices. Finger Lakes winemakers and grape growers, also craft brewers, represent one of the most inclusive and supportive industry groups found anywhere in the world. This is one more similarity, beyond some grape varieties and gentle, sloping landscapes, between our home turf and Tuscan wineries. But I’d say it’s a pretty good one.