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вЂњThe frosted petioles are jammed with terpenes, and I donвЂ™t want any of that in my nice, dark Cabernet Sauvignon,вЂќ Miller said. After a freeze, grapes need to be picked quickly, but the crunchy, frozen leaves that are also raked in by mechanical harvesters can create unwanted floral aromas known as вЂњrose taintвЂќ or вЂњfreeze taint.вЂќДЄirport Ranch suffered a lot of rose taint in 2011, and Miller wasnвЂ™t eager to repeat the experience in 2019.

In 2019, a succession of frost events hit in early October when a cool season had many grapes still hanging across Washington. He wanted to give the Cabernet another week, if possible, but a frost prediction looming in the next week could have forced a sudden change of plans.

When Good Fruit Grower visited in early October to learn more about Airport RanchвЂ™s approach to climate adaptation, Miller was facing a weather forecast similar to 2019. For us to succeed, we have to be able to hit Mother NatureвЂ™s off-speed pitches, too.вЂќ Facing frost вЂњBut in the future, we are seeing more uncertainty, more smoke. вЂњWeвЂ™ve had all these fastball vintages and weвЂ™ve succeeded in hitting a lot of home runs in producing great wines,вЂќ Miller said during his talk. Airport RanchвЂ™s Airfield Estates Winery has enjoyed many great vintages since his father founded the familyвЂ™s winery in 2005, but the past several seasons have been marked by climate challenges including smoke, freeze, more smoke and then record-setting heat. MichelleвЂ™s Canoe Ridge Estate, a reds-only winery.Дuring the session, Miller shared how his business is preparing for climate uncertainty. (Kate Prengaman/Good Fruit Grower)ДЄn increasing number of Cabernet plantings, and other late-harvest red grapes, in Washington vineyards can increase risks as well as returns, Leah Adint said during a session about risk management during the Washington Winegrowers AssociationвЂ™s annual meeting, known as WineVit, earlier this year. For $400, thatвЂ™s a worthwhile investment in flexibility, Miller said. These single-use wine bladders each hold 6,000 gallons. вЂњPart of the reason I can let that Cab hang out is that we can open up a lot of space if we need to,вЂќ Miller said. вЂњToday, I sell more Cab than the next two grapes combined.вЂќД«ut to make Cabernet the core of his business, Miller said itвЂ™s been necessary to invest in the wineryвЂ™s capacity, as well as equipment, to enable him to harvest all those late grapes in a hurry, clean and sort them, and have a place to put them.ДЄt least one of those investments is readily visible: 6,000-gallon bulk wine bladders sit on the lawn outside the winery, providing extra tank space for a sudden onslaught of fresh fruit. вЂњI was raised that I couldnвЂ™t grow Cab in the Yakima Valley, that itвЂ™s too cold here to ripen,вЂќ said Marcus Miller, president of Airport Ranch Wine Estates and third-generation winegrower with over 800 acres of wine grapes in Sunnyside, Washington. Growing Cabernet Sauvignon in the Yakima Valley is a gamble: As winemakers wait for the fruit to reach its flavor peak in the fall, season-ending frosts loom.

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Outside the winery behind him, white flexitanks hold wine Airport uses them to free up tank space if it needs to bring in all the Cabernet in a hurry, to beat a frost, Miller said. Marcus Miller of Airport Ranch Wine Estates in Sunnyside, Washington, stands in a block of Cabernet Sauvignon awaiting harvest, while keeping a close eye on the forecast, in early October.

The weathering magazine