SLO County News BlogGolf, Wine, Real Estate, Business & Travel NewsSLO Vintners Cheer Winter StormWednesday, January 04, 2006San Luis Obispo County vintners and grape growers welcomed last weekend's torrential rains, saying they will help vine growth this spring."These rains were much needed to refill the aquifers,'' said Charles Yates, executive director of the San Luis Obispo Vintners Association. "We had been far behind our normal rain totals, but we are now sitting pretty.'' If the rains hadn't arrived, many vineyards would have had to begin irrigating. Rain totals of more than five inches from the county storm will help delay turning on the sprinklers at many vineyards. This translates into a significant cost savings, growers say. "It was sent from heaven," said Steven Carter, vineyard manager at J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines in Paso Robles. "The steady rain this weekend was mostly absorbed into the soils, so there was very little runoff." Carter said that he would have begun overhead irrigation soon if it had not started to rain. With 10 wells at his vineyard powered by Pacific Gas and Electric Co., Carter estimated that irrigation costs can total $1,500 to $2,500 per month. Even wineries that have many steep hillside vineyards were able to ride out the rains with very little erosion damage. Vineyard manager Lino Bozzano at Laetitia Vineyard & Winery in Arroyo Grande said maintaining a permanent cover crop of native grasses helped prevent erosion. Read More
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