Drought conditions good for wine grapes
By Oulimata Ba, HNGN
California’s record-breaking drought may be wreaking havoc on local wildlife and forcing residents to steal water.
But for state vineyard owners, the lack of water has produced the best wine grapes in years.
“This year’s vintage could be one for the ages,” Michael Coats, who co-owns Valerie’s Vineyard in Sonoma County, told the Wall Street Journal.
Winemakers across the Golden State’s Napa and Sonoma counties say the three-year drought has produced weather conditions that have made the grapes tastier and better in quality. The secret is the lack of water, which causes the vines to grow smaller grapes, leading to a higher concentration of sugar, according to Michael Honig, president of Honig Vineyard & Winery in Napa County.