CAMINO, Calif. (October 14, 2023) – In the Agriculture District of Camino, California, apple and wine-grape growers are rejoicing after several challenging years. The stars have aligned, with a wet winter and a mild spring and summer culminating in a harvest that promises to be nothing short of exceptional.
Wine grower Paul Bush, co-owner of Madroña Vineyards in Camino, is wearing a broad smile these days, and for good reason. He describes this year’s crop as a bountiful combination of both quantity and quality. “It looks like it could be one of the best vintages in a very long time,” Bush remarks with palpable enthusiasm.
What’s making this year so special? According to Bush, the grapes are displaying a remarkable maturity, not just in terms of flavors and fruitiness but also concerning the tannins and phenolic aspects, all achieved at lower sugar levels. These characteristics are setting the stage for wines in 2023 that are beautifully balanced and full of promise.
Not far from Madroña Vineyards, at Rainbow Orchards, Tom Heflin and his family are experiencing their own share of success. In stark contrast, the start of the 2022 growing season was marked by devastating frosts following an unusually mild winter, which wiped out the blossoms on trees throughout Apple Hill. Heflin reflects, “Well, last year is very simple. Zero. We had no apples, we had just a few blueberries.”
Prior to that, the region had endured a series of large wildfires, resulting in smoky days in the foothills that may have influenced crop quality.
Bush and Heflin, with almost a century of combined farming experience, have learned to navigate the tumultuous journey of farming. Madroña Vineyards is approaching 50 years in business, and Rainbow Orchards has been a fixture since 1977.
Heflin aptly characterizes the farming life as a roller coaster ride, with challenges that evolve with the seasons and the years. For Bush, the secret lies in carefully selecting grape varieties that can adapt to changing weather patterns and climate conditions.
Diversification is Heflin’s strategy at Rainbow Orchards, with a focus on planting blueberries and offering an array of farm-fresh products in their bakeshop. “Even if there’s no apples, people still eat doughnuts,” he quips with a chuckle.
The 2023 harvest is well underway at both farms, but both growers remain vigilant until the last crop has been picked and put to use. Heflin notes that a swift start to the rainy season could pose problems for any remaining apples on the trees.
At Madroña Vineyards, optimism abounds, with still-green vines even after the harvest. Bush explains, “They’re doing photosynthesis, storing up the energy for next year’s push. But all it takes is a frost in April to change all of the cards on everything.”
Regardless of what the future holds, Bush and Heflin are experts at making the most of their agricultural endeavors, embracing each season and crop with unwavering determination. As the saying goes, they certainly know how to grow where they’re planted.
