Clark County wineries, vineyards toast great harvest

Viticulture in Washington traces its beginnings to the first grapevines planted at Fort Vancouver in 1825. As they mark the 200th anniversary of viticulture here, Clark County wineries and vineyards report having one their best harvests yet.

Statewide, wineries experienced an earlier-than-normal harvest, said Heather Bradshaw, communications director for the Washington Wine Commission.

“There weren’t huge heat spikes to slow things down in July and August, and the first half of September was fairly warm, which sped the harvest season up a bit,” Bradshaw said. “The growing season was beautiful, without extreme weather, and the quality looks to be very high. The fruit is nice and balanced.”

Tom Aspitarte, the co-owner of Martha’s Vineyard in Skamania County, said that deciding when to begin harvest is the hardest decision vintners make all year.

In 2024, Aspitarte began harvesting Oct. 2 and wrapped up Oct. 15. This year, Aspitarte began on Sept. 28 and ended Oct. 10.

The decision requires balancing quantity and quality, he said.

When the end of September rolls around, Aspitarte said, he finds himself pondering the question “Is there value to leaving the grapes on the vine and lose more, or take them now while they’re not quite at their best?”

Grapes are left on the vine to ripen and attain a high sugar content, which benefits fermentation. However, ripe grapes can attract pests or rot if left on the vine for too long.

“Last year, we lost 25 percent of our crop, mostly due to deer, and we had inadequate deer fencing,” Aspitarte said. “We’re back to maybe surpassing where we were three years ago.”

Powdery mildew, which can ruin crops, did not pose a problem this year, Aspitarte said.

The vineyard’s 2 acres yielded 1 ton of grapes, he said.

Sugar content high

Roger Rezabek, co-owner of Rezabek Winery and Vineyard north of Battle Ground, said his operation experienced an early bud break this year, which resulted in an earlier-than-normal harvest.

Rezabek attributed the early harvest to “a warm, sunny summer, good growing conditions and a drier-than-normal September.”

Rezabek said his grapes have sugar levels he hasn’t seen in five years.

Brix is the measurement of sugar content in a grape. Winemakers use this measurement to determine a grape’s ripeness and its potential alcohol yield.

In past years, Rezabek’s red-wine grapes had brix in the low 20s. For red wine grapes, brix of 24 to 26 results in a standard 12 percent to 15 percent alcohol content.

“This year we are already experiencing brix above 22, 23 and 24,” Rezabek said. He also reported good brix counts for his sparkling wine varietals.

Rezabek said he expects to harvest 2 tons of grapes this season.

Emily Rogers: 360-735-4517; [email protected]