Bloom has begun in eastern Washington. Brittany Komm-Sanders, senior viticulturalist and vineyard manager at Precept Wine, noted bloom starting in Chardonnay and Malbec at Skyfall Vineyard in Yakima Valley on May 24th. Komm-Sanders noted that bloom began at this site on May 22nd last year.

At Sagemoor Vineyard in the White Bluffs region of the Columbia Valley, vineyard manager Lacey Lybeck also noted bloom beginning in Chardonnay on May 24th. Lybeck said other recent vintages looked as follows:

The following article was published in the May issue of Wine Enthusiast.

Baseball fans commonly refer to the period of time when numerous high-profile players took performance-enhancing drugs as the “Steroid Era.” In wine, it can be mused that we are now living in the “Additive Era,” in which it is not unusual for wines to be highly manipulated.

Wine color too light? Add some Mega Purple. Looking for more oak influence or additional tannin? Some oak extract could do the trick. Technology exists that can alter just about any aspect of a wine. The natural end point is making synthetic wine without grapes, which people are doing.

Read the rest of the article here.