Nearly all of Wollersheim Winery's red grape crop will be lost this year after an unusual stretch of hot weather in April caused most of the vines to bloom prematurely.
The winery's red grape crop makes up the majority of vines on site and contributes to the making of several "estate wines." Because of that, three of the winery's seven estate wines will likely not be available in 2024.
Those wines are:
- Domaine Du Sac
- Domaine Reserve
- Ruby Nouveau
It's not unusual for the winery to lose a portion of their crop; usually, they can expect a loss of 10-20% each year. But after wildly fluctuating temperatures this spring, they're expecting to lose 80-90% of their total crop this year, if not more.
Winemaker Philippe Coquard says it's the worst year he's had in his nearly 40 years winemaking in Wisconsin.
"In the spring, 80 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 days is nothing good," Coquard said. "It will bud earlier. And then we could get a frost and lose quite a bit of the crop."
This year, that's exactly what happened.
"You know even with all the equipment we have for frost protection, we couldn't battle that," Coquard said. "So, the concern is that it has happened. It will happen again. What would we have to do in the future to adjust?"
The winery will still be able to make other wines using grapes from other wine growers around the country. Coquard says many of them heard through the grapevine that the winery was in need and stepped in to help out.
Coquard's daughter and fellow winemaker Celine Coquard Lenerz is helping out in any way she can and learning from the experience. Although, they both admit there aren't many solutions to a changing climate besides rolling with the punches.
"It's been changing a lot every year, so it is unpredictable," Lenerz said. "But we do the best we can in the field practices that we have."
No wine sales will be affected this year, as the harvest is done one year ahead of time. So, the Coquard family says if you want to grab one of those estate wines, now is the time to do it.
Because next year, there likely won't be any left.
Source - https://www.wkow.com
