Veraison to Harvest

It was quite a year in the Lake Erie Grape Belt. From a disastrous spring frost to some out of this world red wines, 2024 provided every emotion but boredom. Kris Kane from 21 Brix Winery and Olde Chautauqua Farm and Jennifer Phillips-Russo from the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program join us to go over the lows, the highs and the aftermath.

Come for the Riesling, stay for the sensational reds. It was the warmest year on record in some parts of the Finger Lakes, and with the heat also comes one of the most exciting wine years to date. Here to talk about large crops and larger expectations are Craig Hosbach of Fox Run Vineyards and Ian Wagner from Wagner Vineyards. Hans Walter-Peterson of the Finger Lakes Grape Program has been counting the growing degree days and not smelling sour rot.

It was a banner year in the Hudson Valley wine industry. Spared damage from frost, hurricanes or even too many birds, Hudson Valley growers were treated to a warm, dry year with good yields and better quality. Here to celebrate one of the best wine seasons in memory are Michael Migliore of Whitecliff Vineyards and Winery and Jeremy Schuster of the Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture Program.

This week we are joined by Jeremy Schuster and Hans Walter-Peterson to discuss frosts, spotted lanternflies, what's left and what's next. While this is the last "regular" episode of V to H 2024, it is not the last episode. Be on the lookout for regional summaries in the coming weeks.

The gang is all here and the gang is all...tired. More of the 2024 grape and wine harvest in New York State is behind us than in front of us, and we are taking stock as the weather cools. Join Jennifer Phillips-Russo, Jeremy Schuster, Hans Walter-Peterson and Alice Wise as we discuss what happened this week and what's left to be picked.

Like a booster engine sending grapes into ripeness and then detaching, September has fallen away. New York State now reckons with October and we hear from Alice Wise, Jeremy Schuster and Hans Walter-Peterson. Will the harvest end early? And will birds or people make that call? Find out this week on the Veraison to Harvest podcast.

One segment wasn't enough to contain all the weather drama as Hans Walter-Peterson from the Finger Lakes Grape Program drops by to talk about just how local these rain events have been. We also discuss what's been picked, what's still out there and what people might do about it all in the coming days.

And now for something completely different. The weather as gotten a lot more local, the raccoons have gotten a lot more persistent, and the harvest season has gotten even more intense in New York State. We are joined by Alice Wise, Jeremy Schuster and Jennifer Phillips-Russo to talk about the good, the bad and the birds in week 5 of Veraison to Harvest.

The sun is shining and we are making...grape juice and wine, actually, but it's really nice weather for making hay also. The grape harvest continues in New York State, and we are joined this week by Alice Wise, Jennifer Phillips-Russo, Jeremy Schuster and Hans Walter-Peterson to talk about how the vineyards are looking, just how long this amazing stretch of weather can continue. Have you spotted a spotted lantern fly in a place not known to harbor them? Squish it and report it.

The grape ripening numbers are jumping as a wonderful September continues. Why do some change more than others? What's the deal with pH and titratable acidity? Are the birds out for grapes? And please stay safe out there. Join Jennifer Phillips-Russo, Jeremy Schuster and Hans Walter-Peterson as we talk about all of these topics and more.