February 16, 2005
The Impact of the Rain
With county rainfall better than 300 percent of normal so far this year, I spoke to grower, winemaker and Lompoc resident, Peter Cargasacchi about the impact of these recent rains.
At the end of December and early January we had gotten two years worth of rain, Peter told me- all we got in 2002 and 2003 combined. “Those were dry years,” he said.
“2004, despite all the rain we’ve had so far, looks more like a normal year in terms of accumulation,” Peter told me.
“The good thing about the rain we’ve had is that it is leaching out the built up of salts from the rooting zone so the vines will be healthier,” he added.
“The other good thing about the rain is it is increasing the soil mass so it will take more heat to warm up the ground and trigger bud break. In general, it means, it will help do delay bud break a little bit,” he told me.
Bud break was unusually early in 2004 because it got so warm at the end of February and early March that combined with the relatively dry soils helped to influence for an early break.
Right now, Peter said, we are in a mild El Nino pattern, which means, potentially, we could get additional significant rain fall this winter.
“If the rainfall continues after bud break and as we approach shoot elongation, the potential is there for high disease pressure such as powdery mildew,” Peter told me.
“Because the ground is wet, I hope we’ll have a slightly later and uniform bud break. 2004 also gave us a very uniform bud break, which is extremely important for wine quality because the fruit is then on an easier management system to all ripen uniformly in each block,” he said.
More Beginnings
In a January column I wrote, “The best beginning for a day of wine tasting is a hearty breakfast. Breakfast is a favorite meal for me, and here is a listing of places to try for breakfast in our area.”
Several more places I like a lot should have been included:
- Good friends and part time Solvang residents Bill Davidge and Peggy Evans had read the column and told me they wanted to take me to the Solvang Taco Roco for the chili verde omelet! It’s a great call. The chili verde lunch item there is great. I have it frequently. I also like the diced ham and eggs, tortillas and refried beans for breakfast are also a favorite.
- Breakfast and lunch at the Buellton Taco Roco on Avenue of the Flags puts out good food too.
- For superlative pastries and sandwiches, there’s Pattibakes on Highway 246 in Buellton, just next to the Albertson’s Shopping Center. Pattibakes is set back from the road in the little shopping center and not really obvious from Highway 246. A great beginning is one of their scones or coffee cake or cinnamon roll. I like to pick them up and enjoy these baked goodies at home with fresh ground and freshly brewed Peet’s coffee.
- Not a breakfast place per se, a real find is The Chef’s Touch on Mission Drive in Solvang, next to the Danish Inn! I first had owner Kurt Alldredge’s sandwiches and salad at a catered wine tasting at Sanford Winery. The turkey sandwich with cranberry I had was world class, reminding me of Scott Hogue’s fine fare from Santa Barbara’s Epicurean Catering Company from the mid 70s! If you want to put together lunch to take to a vineyard, I know Kurt will take really good care of you.
Bon appetit!
Times wine columnist, Bob Senn, lives in the Los Alamos Valley and owns the Los Olivos Wine & Spirits Emporium.
