CORNVILLE, AZ (AZFamily) — Growing grapes and turning them into wine is a delicate slow process. It’s something winemakers in the Verde Valley, about 100 miles north of Phoenix, take seriously.
However, record-breaking heat this summer and fall has turned that process into a sprint.
Page Springs Cellar founder Eric Glomski said it’s an almost year-long process to get to harvesting.
“It’s kind of like you’ve been rehearsing for a concert or a play the whole year and then all of a sudden it’s the performance,” Glomski said.
According to Wine America, Arizona’s wineries are a $4.3 billion industry, with more than 100 wineries across the state. The heart of the industry is in the Verde Valley.
“Phoenix is too hot and Flagstaff is too cold but this middle elevation in Arizona is a really great place to grow grapes,” Glomski said.
However, the heat this summer and fall packed a punch, cutting harvest time by more than half due to grapes ripening quicker, Glomski said.
“This year, one of our vineyards, which normally takes 60 days to pick, actually everything ripened really quickly so it only took 23 days,” he said.
Glomski said it’s been a challenge for wineries across the state as workers race against the clock to harvest and barrel the grapes.
“So 300,000 pounds of grapes,” he said, “I probably average for five weeks, 14-16 hours a day, no days off. Some days were longer.”
Glomski said all the work is worth it and most of the wine flavor won’t be impacted. They just had to be smart while harvesting.
“It was a bell curve,” Glomski said. “Most of it was pretty great. The edges, there was some that was overripe. There was some that was underripe. So you kind of step back from the whole thing and you strategically plan for the harvest. You go, OK, what grape verities can be a little less ripe and still do well.”
He also shared that the best way for the public to support the industry is to visit the actual winery, not just buy in stores.
He also wanted to remind people that the Verde Valley is cooler than Phoenix right now, especially at night.
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