Jim has been growing grapes in marginal areas since 1974. He currently runs the Rist Canyon Vineyards. Rist Canyon vineyards is a varietal trial and research vineyard in the Colorado Front Range Foothills.
The 2003 harvest is over. The growing season was unusual. It started with a late spring frost in May, but the sodium alginate treated vines came through in perfect condition and soon budded out. We had a wet, cold spring which slowed growth but the precipitation was welcomed after 3 years of drought. As the flower clusters emerged, the vines were cluster pruned back to one cluster per vine.
Hail hit the vineyard on the 14th of June. This was one of those 1 in 7 year hail storms. Early budding vines were stripped of leaves, flower clusters, and whole shoots were broken of of some vines. Remaining flower clusters had damage to many flowers. The reduced leaf area slowed down vine growth and delayed flowering.
Flowering commenced with the 4th of July holiday. Late this year because of the hail storm in June. Pollination was erratic because of the flower damage caused by the hail. Many flowers didn't even open. Yield was reduced.
The 2003 growing season proceeded normally after flowering. The summer yielded warmer than usual temperatures. We hit a record for number of days above 90F. The drought of previous years returned.
With good irrigation, the clusters of berries grew in size. Verasion started with the early varieties during the second week of August and proceeded through the month as the later varieties ripened.
Harvest was performed in three phases. Because this is a research varietal trial with varieties spanning from early to mid-season in their characteristics, it was decided to harvest at three different dates. The earliest varieties were harvested on the 9th of September. The average Brix was 22 with a pH of 3.10. Early mid-season varieties were harvested 1 1/2 weeks later and the late varieties were harvested two weeks after that. The latest red varieties harvested only reached 20 Brix. The white varieties were harvested as a group with the late varieties and averaged 21 Brix.
A light frost was experienced just prior to the harvesting of the later varieties and nipped many of the leaves of these varieties. Earlier varieties were not affected. The weather became unusually warm for this region after that. All in all, the 2003 growing season was a success for the first bearing year at the Rist Canyon Vineyards.
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Baco, a French hybrid at harvest time in early September, 2003.
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