Winter rains starting early

October 13, 2009
Buellton, CA

We knew that today would be a day for "rainy day projects" from the weather forecast. A large storm is moving in off the Pacific and, although we're along the southern edge of the impacted area, we're still expected to get 2"+ of rain by tomorrow. This is quite a concern on a couple of fronts. With all the fires in California this summer, a lot of areas will be susceptible to mudslides this winter. They're calling this the first of the "winter storms", even though winter is a long way off and the rainy season doesn't usually start until December-January.

The second area of concern is for the grape harvest. Rain at harvest time brings a couple of risks. First, wine grapes need to be very concentrated when they're crushed; wine grapes are smaller than blueberries, not like the big ones you see in the grocery store. Excess water absorbed after a rain can dilute the juice and make weak wines. The other worry is mold that can form on the grapes before they are harvested. While some wines benefit from some growths (some types of sweet dessert wines in particular), it can be deadly for most table wines. We'll start hearing later in the week (it's supposed to clear up by tomorrow afternoon) how the vineyards have fared in this rain.

The pups aren't fazed by the rain, so we got our foul-weather gear out and have already walked them three times. We look like reporters from the Weather Channel out in the downpours with 30 MPH winds blowing us around.

Geri's making Swedish Meatballs for dinner, with pan-roasted potatoes and sautéed carrots. I'll be digging out a nice Australian Shiraz, quite a change of pace from the California wines we've been focused on lately.