The State : Rain Imperils Grape Crop

Growers of grapes for elite California wines are hoping for clearing skies and dry winds after heavy rains threatened fragile crops on the vine with rot and mildew. A tropical storm from the South Pacific and a winter storm from the Gulf of Alaska met in California over the weekend, sparking thunderstorms and dousing some regions with more than four inches of rain. “Once the rain stops, the wine grape people in Napa and Sonoma need a good strong wind to dry their grapes out,” said Mike Henry, spokesman for the California Farm Bureau. “A lot of the growers were caught in the early stages, with stuff still on the vine.” The storms also brought an unusual, early season snowfall to portions of the Sierra.