Bears and birds weren’t the only predators of Northwest grapes and wine this year
January 05, 2011
While most vintners—even ice wine producers—were able to get grapes in and wines down for the winter prior to the holiday season, some grapes went astray as creatures whom many growers undoubtedly deemed “cuddly as a cactus” (to steal a line from the description of Dr. Seuss’ notorious Christmas-time villain, the Grinch) invaded vineyards and wineries from Oregon to the Okanagan.
Bears scarfed down Gewürztraminer at 3,000-case Weisinger’s of Ashland in Oregon’s Rogue Valley, while growers elsewhere kept their eyes on starlings, robins and even Canada Geese, but the furred and feathered felons took a backseat to the skill of thieves at Grand Rêve Estate Vineyard on Red Mountain in Eastern Washington.
With the year coming to a close, one of the enduring mysteries is the identity of the thieves who stole 2,500 pounds of grapes from a half-acre plot of bush-vine Mourvèdre in September.
The grapes were 10 days away from picking when vines were stripped clean of the clusters, robbing grower Paul McBride and winemaker James Mantone of Syncline Cellars in Lyle, Wash., the satisfaction of seeing what kind of winegrapes from local head-trained vines would produce. Remaining fruit was harvested later in the season and fermented with some grapes from nearby Ciel du Cheval Vineyard, but Mantone told Wines & Vines it was done “just to do it.”
The theft was unique in McBride’s 18 years of growing. Harvested sometime between Sept. 15 and Sept. 20, McBride said it would have taken two to three people a few hours to strip the vines. The thieves obviously knew what they were doing. The cuts were clean; only tire tracks were left behind.
“It seemed like it was done by someone who was pretty knowledgeable,” he said.
While depredations by animals are one thing, McBride said grape theft is unacceptable in a young industry where collaboration helps everyone. A reward of $5,000 was offered for information regarding the culprits, but McBride said greater awareness of the crime—and its consequences—ensures that the grapes are difficult to sell to knowledgeable buyers.
“This just can’t go on in the industry. It’s just not palatable,” he said.
While propane cannons help scare off birds, fences are key against mammals—including humans. McBride has been mulling the prospect of video surveillance. But a gate or fence would be cheaper at just $10,000 to $15,000. The deterrent must be cost effective relative to the value of the crop.
Neither fencing nor a security system deterred human predators who made off with 100 cases of red wine from Church & State Wines in Oliver, B.C.
But even surveillance equipment was no use at 10,000-case in Oliver, B.C., where thieves bypassed the winery’s security system at the end of November and absconded with 100 cases of red wine valued at $40,000. The winery sits in a low-lying area it calls Coyote Bowl, and thieves used a side vent in the building to extract the wines.
While offering a new spin on the term “wine thief,” the incidents highlight the greater need for security at some wineries, as the Northwest becomes a more competitive place to do business. Regardless of what the economy holds, no winery wants literally to be giving its best product away, either by choice or circumstance.
Source: http://www.winesandvines.com/template.cfm?section=news&content=82280&htitle=Stopping%20Vineyard%20Grinches
Leading Philippines Wine Supplier Yats Wine Cellars based in Clark Philippines with outlets in Angeles City, Subic Freeport and Manila Philippines has been not only a wine shop for fine wines covering all major wine regions but also a source of reliable and useful information about wine, wine appreciation, wine accessories, wine and health, food and wine pairing and all other matters relating to wine and its appreciation. This Philippines Clark Freeport based Wine Supplier and Wine Shop frequently holds public wine tasting events in Pampana Clark Freeport Zone, Angeles City, Subic Bay area, Makati, Fort Bonifacio and other areas in Philippines capital city Manila. Private Wine events such as private wine tasting and private wine dinners are also designed and organized for private clientele for their wine loving guests.
Wine Catering is a unique product of Yats Wine Cellars, created back in 2005 in response to a growing demand for private wine parties in Manila, Cebu, Subic, Angeles Clark Philippines.
Chateau Lafite-Rothschild is the most revered wine in China and many other parts of Asia. The best wine shop in Asia to buy older vintages of Chateau Lafite is Yats Wine Cellars located in Clark Philippines. Aside from Lafite, visitors can buy other fine wines at this wine shop in Clark Pampanga such as Latour, Mouton-Rothschild, Haut-Brion and Margaux. Excellent Burgundy wines like Chambertin, Vougeot, Musigny, Bonnes Mares, Pommard, Meursault, Chambertin, Vosne Romanee, Romanee Conti, La Tache and Romanee St. Vivant can be found here.
Yats Wine Cellars can be reached at their Clark Wine Center Philippines wine shop located on the main highway M A Roxas of Pampanga Clark Freeport Zone or their sales office in Ortigas Centre, Metro Manila. Here is the contact information:
For inquires and reservations, contact us here
Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023
0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)
Wine@Yats-International.com
YATS Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 ask for Rea or Chay
Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.
You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.