: THE BLOG
Castoro Cellars Winemaker Tom Myers
We asked Winemaker Tom Myers, Castoro Cellars, for the real scoop on how stress on vines changes the wine in your glass.
Q: We hear that stress is good for vines. It’s said that withholding water or planting vines in poor soils makes grapes more flavorful. But at what point is stress not good?
A: “This is a subject that has been talked about for as long as the subject of wine quality has been discussed. After all, are not wines made in the vineyard? Certainly vine physiology, of which stress is one aspect, is central to grape chemistry at harvest. Months and years after harvest, the color, acid, aroma, flavor and mouthfeel of the resulting wine will still show the effects of that initial grape chemistry.
So what about stress, is it good or bad when growing wine grapes? If a little is good is more even better? There is a myth out there which claims that grapes need a lot of stress to produce the best wine. Studies indicate that while some stress (and the timing of the stress) is good, at some point it becomes damaging.
Vines line the pathway to the tasting room at Castoro Cellars in Paso Robles.
It is the extremes that cause problems. Vines with too much water and nutrients grow too much green canopy that shade fruit so grapes are big, low color with diluted flavors. Vines with too little water and nutrition don’t have enough leaf area to ripen the fruit and may leave the clusters exposed to sunburn. Both extremes make for low quality wine.
Bimmer and Niels Udson, Founders, Castoro Cellars in Paso Robles, share a tasting with Gerri-Lynn Becker, President, The California Wine Club.
The ideal then is to have the vines balanced and in a Goldilocks condition (“not too much, not too little, just right”). That means enough foliage to provide photosynthesis and intermittent shade, and enough stress to yield small berries getting enough sunlight to trigger the ripening process. Vines seem to know that if conditions are too good, they don’t need to produce sweet fruit and mature seeds. So, let’s toast to a modicum of well-timed vine stress.”
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Tom Myers is a veteran Paso Robles Winemaker with degrees in science and a M.S. in Food Science/Enology from U.C. Davis. He joined Estrella in Paso Robles in 1978 and Castoro Cellars in 1990.
Bimmer and Niels Udson, Castoro Cellars Founders, with their sons Luke and Max in the early 90s.
Castoro Cellars was one of the very first wineries featured by The California Wine Club, and our members have been enjoying their delicious, handcrafted wines ever since. Their beautiful winery in Paso Robles is well worth the trip, especially if you can plan to be there for their Whale Rock Music Festival. This high-energy winery includes second-generation Max and Luke Udson who are now using Castoro grapes to handcraft Bethel Rd. Distillery Brandy.
Hello Good artical I Had my wine sampled recently for purchase by A prominate buyer The french owner said she tasted a bit of stress so offered me bit less ? What does stress tast line? Just curious thanks
Hi Larry,
I am sorry, but we have heard from winemakers about vines and grapes being stressed, but not of a wine tasting “stressed.” You would need to ask the person who gave that description. I hope you find the answer. Cheers!
Really good article!
Thank you! We are glad you enjoyed it. Cheers!
hi. this year. some heat damage. say. dry raisons. 112. degrees for couple days. wow
wiil that effct wine quality
Hi Larry, We don’t make wine ourselves, so we don’t have a definitive answer for you. We are a wine of the month club that features handcrafted wines from small, family wineries. Cheers!
your artical. damageing. in which way ??
Hi Larry, Winemaker Tom Myer advised that “Vines with too much water and nutrients grow too much green canopy that shade fruit so grapes are big, low color with diluted flavors. Vines with too little water and nutrition don’t have enough leaf area to ripen the fruit and may leave the clusters exposed to sunburn. Both extremes make for low quality wine.” Cheers!