09-09-05 - A cold front moves in

This is when it gets scary. Cold fog settled into the vineyards early in the morning and even when it finally blew away, only revealed a sky full of grey clouds. It was a day that invoked steaming bowls of soup and warm cups of tea. Technically speaking, fall is two weeks away, but greyness of weather gave the impression that fall had blown in with full force.

What does this do for the grapes? Diddly. At this point, the grapes need heat -- at least another three or four weeks of heat to bring them to full maturity. It is not to say that fall is here to say, but it is a frightening indication that a cold day here and cold day there will impede what needs to occur; full ripening. It is not yet the sounding of a death knell, but it heightens the awareness that there is still much struggle ahead.