Two weeks ago, several miles west of Santa Rosa, several Russian River Valley vineyards were almost completely underwater.
The scene was duplicated in many low-lying vineyards in Napa, Mendocino, Lake, and nearby counties due to the heavy rains that hit the state’s North Coast, or what is essentially their wine country.
So much rain hit the area that it created lakes that normally are verdant vines. Driving along Sonoma County’s River Road, west of Highway 101, portions of vineyards on both sides of the road resembled lakes.
In one vineyard near Trenton Road, only the tops of vines could be seen, while the rest of the vineyard was submerged.
Almost every time this happens, a television station outside of wine country sends a cameraman to get shots of the “disaster.” If a reporter is sent, he or she will ask a grape grower how much money will be lost in this catastrophe.
The answer: almost none.
Grapevines, in addition to being hardy critters that can protect themselves from many stresses, are in hibernation now. Being underwater is no big deal.
Major city news folk from places such as Miami, Chicago, and Dallas rarely understand the rigors of growing wine grapes, thus the knee-jerk reaction to call a normal situation a disaster at the fall of a fedora.
The fact is that “drowning” grape vines was once an annual tactic of grape farmers in France.
In the 1880s, when many French vineyards were hit with the scourge of the root louse phylloxera, vines couldn’t survive the infestation that would eventually kill them.
To hold off replanting as long as possible, farmers would often flood their vineyards to drown as many of the lice as possible. The vines were largely unaffected.
After the recent rains, a few plants might end up being uprooted and will need to be replanted, which can cost some money. But older vines with deep roots likely are safe. Rain damage will be minimal compared to the many other plagues that are regularly visited on growers.
On a positive note, the heavy rains raised the water table as well as the level of some of the streams and ponds—water that will be used later in the year, such as in the hot days of summer, when water is vital.
The current rains, as heavy as they have been, still do not mean California is out of drought mode. Only so much of the rain that fell on wine country can be captured for later use.
