As I reported here, in a 24-hour period in mid October, between 2 and 10 inches (5–25 cm) of rain fell in central and northern California vineyards, and it continued to rain, lightly, for four more days, with high humidity – not good for grapevines and the Californians who farm them, accustomed as they are to hot, dry harvests.
Yet pleasantly warm, sunny days followed, and by 11 Nov, most grapes were in the fermenters, and winemakers were raving (of course) about the vintage. A majority of the grapes had been picked statewide when the storm hit, although some...