| “Budbreak”: the glorious time of the year when the vines wake up from their winter dormancy. For those more curious about what causes budbreak, it is stimulated as soil temperatures rise, osmosis causes water to be drawn upward into the plant through the xylem. This water is carrying minerals, sugars, organic acids, and hormones from the roots. Those hormones stimulate the buds to ‘break’ open. And there you have it – vintage 2022 begins. In the Willamette Valley we used April 15th as a target for budbeak for years. But as our climate warms and changes, that date has become less reliable and we are experiencing budbreak earlier in April. With an early April budbreak, we could anticipate harvest in early September once again. But, a lot will happen between now and then. Stay tuned….. |