Williamsburg, Va. - The weather affects just about everyone and everything, even the wine that some of us drink.
People from all over visit the Williamsburg Winery every year.
"Wine tasting, wine tours, learning what they do, watching it down here - it's beautiful," says Jennifer Weddle of Richmond.
But before the wine makes it to the bottles and is poured into a glass, it all starts in the elements.
“The weather for us is 100 percent critical for growing grapes,” says Williamsburg Winery winemaker Matthew Meyer.
Meyer says so far, the grapes are growing right on track this year for the fall harvest.
But last year, the grapes grew much earlier. And though the calendar said spring, freezing temperatures into April nearly killed the crop.
“Last year, I didn't sleep from March to April 15th. Every night, we were kind of worried, watching the weather," Meyer says.
The winery also lost about a third of its crop last year because of torrential rains, some of the worst weather they’ve ever had.
“We couldn't get into the vineyards because the ground was so wet, we couldn't get the tractors, so the red wines suffered a little bit more," Meyer says.
While most of these grapes are in their growing stage right now, the Winery is hoping for even more growth with the use of grow tubes that protect the vine. In about three years, they’ll hopefully be full of grapes.
"We have a particular style that is Virginia, but it is one that's being recognized throughout the world and the United States as quality,” Meyer says.
Quality and taste that all depends on the weather.
