How the season went sour: Devastating frosts, wet summer impacted Nashoba Valley Winery

SOUR FOR A LOCAL WINERY. THIS YEAR WAS DEFINITELY THE THE WORST YEAR THAT I CAN REMEMBER IN A LONG, LONG TIME. FROM DEVASTATING FROST IN FEBRUARY AND MAY TO A RAINY SUMMER, NESHOBA WINERY FACED AN ONSLAUGHT OF WEATHER WOES. WE LOST ABOUT 60% OF THE VINES RIGHT OFF THE BAT. THEY DIDN’T FRUIT AT ALL THIS YEAR FOR THESE VINES TO YIELD GRAPES, IDEALLY, YOU WANT TO LOWER THE WATER AMOUNT, BUT WITH ALL THE RAIN WE’VE SEEN THIS YEAR, THAT’S NOT EVEN PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE. I MEAN, IT RAINED, WHAT, EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND SINCE JUNE FOR THE MOST PART. THIS TRUNK SYSTEM OBVIOUSLY DID NOT SURVIVE THIS YEAR. VARIETALS HAVE BEEN IMPACTED. THE FLAVOR OF REMAINING GRAPES MAY NOT BE AS GREAT AS YEARS PAST AND SOME VINES ARE COMPLETELY DYING. I MEAN, WE’RE TALKING REPLANTING. SO THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. BUT VINES DON’T REACH PEAK MATURITY UNTIL 3 TO 5 YEARS, WHICH LEAVES A GAP BETWEEN YEARS FOR WHEN THOSE VINES MAY FRUIT. IT’S NOT JUST THE GRAPES THAT HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY THIS YEAR’S WEATHER, JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER FARM, PRETTY MUCH IN CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS, WE LOST ALL OF OUR PEACHES AS WELL. AND DUE TO FROST, APPLES MAY NOT LOOK AS APPEALING AS YEARS PAST. BUT NASHOBA WINERY DOES PUT THE LEFTOVER APPLES TO USE. WE CAN STILL USE NOT SUPER PRETTY LOOKING FRUIT IN OUR ALCOHOLIC PRODUCTION SIDE OF THINGS, SO MAKING CIDER, MAKING WINE OR MAKING APPLE BRANDY LIKE WE DO WITH A LOT OF OUR APPLES OUT IN THE ORCHARD. FROM A BUSINESS SIDE OF THINGS, THOUGH, IT’S TOUGH. THE SEASONS HAVE NOT BEEN FORGIVING THIS YEAR, AND JUSTIN HOPES THAT THIS WINTER DOES NOT HAVE ANY BELOW ZERO DAYS. HE SAYS THE CROPS CANNOT HANDLE THAT TYPE OF EXTREME COLD. NASHOBA WINERY IS A YEAR ROUND OPERATION AND THERE’S STILL PLEN